High School DXD (The Phantom Gamer)
by KidIcuras
Summary: Warren Fall was your average shut in/culinary arts student, or well he was up until he got stabbed in the chest with a sword of all things. Now reborn as the newest person with the power of The Gamer, he'll train hard in order to protect the new friends he's made at this second go at life...wait he's been reborn where now! OCXHarem. IsseiXHarem (Rated M for Warren's dirty mouth)
1. Get Up and Set Up

**Prologue Arc**

**Get Up and Set Up**

You know I've always thought I was a pretty open minded person. I mean sure I was a bit of a shut in (as much one can be when they're a culinary student), played _way_ to many video games and online board games, and had a stupid as hell saving people _thing _that would flare up at the weirdest and stupidest times to the point that I could not walk away even if my own life depended on it.

Which…was kinda ironic considering it _was_ what got me killed.

Yep you heard me. I _died_.

(It is also just occurring to me that I'm starting to sound like some kind of shounen protagonist or something. Fml.)

It had just been your typical day really. I had been out with a few friends (even if I was a shut in that didn't mean I didn't have friends ya jerks) when it happened. One of my friends had asked us to stop by a random department store while we were out, and being the nice, if not annoying, friends we were; we agreed. It had all been going well, and we had just been about to check out…up until a random guy who was obviously committing his first real crime held up the cashier and in turn us…with a _fucking _**_sword_**.

I mean who did that in this day and age?!

Now being the understanding people we were when asked for our wallets and such we obviously handed…them…oh who the hell am I kidding?! Upon seeing what the amateur thief had chosen as his weapon of choice, my friends and I couldn't help but be amused to the point we had to stifle our laughter. This was obviously not appreciated; however, as the thief not moments later attempted to stab one of my friends with said sword, a katana now that I think back on it. And wouldn't ya guess it, being the good friend I was, I took the blow meant for them like a pro!

And then proceeded to bleed out with a sword stabbed through my heart.

Slam, blam, case closed right?

Well considering that I'm now just kinda floating here in a world of pure white as far as the eye can see, I'm gonna say _NO_.

**[Greetings -Warren Fall- You have been chosen to be reincarnated as the newest person to be gifted the ability [The Gamer].]**

Oh and there was also **_that_**.

**[Well hello to you too!]**

**[Anyways Tutorial I of [The Gamer] is about to begin.]**

**[Begin Tutorial I]**

**{YES/NO}**

Blinking away the surprise that sprung up with the 'hello' comment, I took a quick look around the infinite amount of white around me. I then turned back to the glowing pop up before me with a flat look. 'Not like there's anything else better to do,' I thought tiredly before tapping {YES}.

**[Great! Welcome newest Gamer to your Tutorial I stage! Now let's begin. Please say or think [Menu].]**

Wow this is seriously happening. "[Menu, [Stats]." Hey I've read fanfiction before; I know how this whole shtick goes.

**[Name: Warren Fall] **

**[Race: Human] [Gender: Male] [Age: 16] **_Basic Information about yourself _

**[Titles] [The Gamer] [LOCKED] [LOCKED] **_Titles you gain throughout your adventure. (May provide anything from boosted stats to special skills.)_

**[Sacred Gear / Bloodline Trait: ?] **_Self-explanatory really  
_**  
[Level: 1] [Next Level: 0.0%] **_Again self-explanatory_

**[HP: 25 / 25] [HPR: 0.5 a Minute]**"_Health Points" and "Health Point Recovery" are both physical based stats determined via VIT. (DO NOT LET IT REACH ZERO!)_

**[MP: 25 / 25] [MPR: 0.5 a Minute] **"_Magic Points" are determined via INT while "Magic Point Recovery is determined via WIS, and both are spiritual based stats. When MP hits zero you will be unable to use magic unless you risk {Magic Exhaustion} which will add a set amount of time before MPR will become accessible again._

**[SP: 25 / 25] [SPR: 0.5 a Minute] **"_Stamina Points" and "Stamina Point Recovery" are both physical based stats determined via END. When SP hits zero you will be unable to move unless you risk {Stamina Exhaustion} which will add a set amount of time before SPR will become accessible again._

**[STR: 1] **_Strength: physical trait, influences overall strength and Base Physical DMG output.  
_**  
[AGI: 1] **_Agility: physical trait, influences speed, flexibility, and reflexes.  
_**  
[VIT: 1] **_Vitality: physical trait, influences your HP, HPR, and overall life force._

**[END: 1] **_Endurance: physical trait, influences your SP, SPR, and overall stamina.  
_**  
[INT: 1] **_Intelligence: mental trait, influences MP, Base Magical DMG output, theoretical comprehension, and learning speed.  
_**  
[WIS: 1] **_Wisdom: mental trait, influences MPR, decision making, and common-bloody-sense.  
_**  
[LUCK: 1] **_Luck: general trait, influences drop rates, loot percentage, item drop rarity, and critical hit ratio.  
_**  
[Unused Stat Points: 21] **_{You died at 21 years old so here ya go}  
_

There was even a life size picture of me in all my plain ass glory. I was a sharp faced guy don't get me wrong, and I had straight black hair tied into a small tuff in the back with a few bangs along the front and dark blue eyes. I wasn't overall good looking really; I was just your average guy-

Unholy shit the Sacred Gear Tab is just now hitting me! I'm gonna be reborn into Highschool DxD!?

**[That's not gonna be a problem is it? After doing some searching we found that it had all your basic wants really. It has action, romance, drama, and comedy in spades! Plus it also has tons of hot girls your age-]**

OK THAT'S ENOUGH OF THAT! No, nope, nadda we do not have to continue that line of thought! _**Ahem**_ Highschool DxD won't be a problem at all.

**[Hmph we had a good rhythm going too! Whatever, now that you've seen your stats let's talk seriously here. You've got the choice to remain fully human, or you can become a new Race.]**

Well dang that sounds pretty interesting, let's see what we got to work with.

**[Species List]**

**[Human] **_**Starter Kit: 5 to all Stats, 10 Unused Stat Points, Passive Skill: Auto Translate, and Human Starter Pack (Includes a Sacred Gear Randomizer).**_

**[Devil] **_**Starter Kit: 10 to all Stats, 5 Unused Stat Points, Extended Lifespan, and Devil Starter Pack (Includes a Devil Bloodline Trait Randomizer).**_

**[Fallen]  
**_**Starter Kit: 10 to all Stats, 5 Unused Stat Points, Extended Lifespan, and Fallen Starter Pack (Includes a Fallen Angel Bloodline Trait Randomizer).**_

**[Angel]  
**_**Starter Kit: 10 to all Stats, 5 Unused Stat Points, Extended Lifespan, and Angel Starter Pack (Includes an Angel Bloodline Trait Randomizer).**_

**[Yokai]  
**_**Starter Kit: 10 to all Stats, 5 Unused Stat Points, Extended Lifespan, and Yokai Starter Pack (Includes ability to choose Yokai species you would become).**_

**[Vampire]  
**_**Starter Kit: 20 to STR, AGI, VIT, END, 5 Unused Stat Points, Extended Lifespan, and Vampire Starter Pack (Includes a choice of two advanced Vampire abilities to gain).**_

**[Werewolf]  
**_**Starter Kit: 20 to STR, AGI, VIT, END, 5 Unused Stat Points, Extended Lifespan, and Werewolf Starter Pack (Includes a choice of two advanced Werewolf abilities to gain).**_

**[Grim Reaper]  
**_**Starter Kit: 20 to STR, AGI, VIT, END, 5 Unused Stat Points, Extended Lifespan, and Reaper Starter Pack (Includes a choice of two advanced Grim Reaper abilities to gain).**_

**[Half-Blood (Human X Other Race of your Choice)]  
**_**Starter Kit: 5 to all stats, 5 Unused Stat Points, Extended Lifespan, and Half-Blood Starter Pack (Includes ONE that Race's extra skill/item/ability that comes with its Pack).**_

Hmm these are some interesting choices…although-

**[Yep we thought it'd be interesting to give you some choices. Honestly, we thought it would be interesting to look at what exactly Grim Reapers or even the Werewolves are capable of since they don't get that much screen time-]**

**[Would you like to choose the Race - Human-? Be aware this choice cannot be changed until given a later option.]  
{YES/ NO}**

**[Wait what are you-?!]**

"{YES}," I said without a moment of hesitation, not even reading the rest of the text box.

**[…you…why…okay we are honestly confused, and we're not supposed to be a truly sentient thing!]**

I scratched my head in thought as I stared down at the text box before deciding to just straight with...them? I mean it-they-it…I'm just gonna go with _them _since _they_ have been "talking" in plurals the whole time.

"Well honestly later on I could be changed thanks to the Evil Piece or even Brave Saint systems with relative ease, and even if no one wants to add me to their group then so be it," I said with a nonchalant shrug. "Though honestly…I kinda just want to push myself I suppose. I mean I was human in my last life, and I didn't really get a chance to see how far I could push myself in that life. Sure I know if push comes to shove, I may have to bite the bullet in order to survive or gain the power up necessary to win a fight. Until that time; however, I just want to see how far I can go with the power I was originally born with…well and the [Gamer System]…and whatever Sacred Gear I get." I finished with a sheepish chuckle because the Sacred Gear was also a kinda big reason I wanted to go the "Human Path" anyways.

**[Well then…we can honestly say that we are kinda amused but also oddly respectful of your choice…Eh whatever. You've made your decision, so you're the one who is gonna have to live with it. You have received some rewards for choosing the Human Path; however, so how about we get to those…which is what we'd like to say!]**

**[For now let's continue with the Tutorial I! Please say or think [Menu].]**

'[Menu].'

**[Menu]  
[Status]  
[Inventory]  
[Skills]  
[Quest]  
[Mailbox]  
[BGM]  
[Help/Information]  
**_{More Tabs will become available through level up or completing certain events.}_

Huh, so everything won't be made available from the get go…fair enough.

**[Yeah those are gonna come later, for now go to your [Inventory] Tab.]**

Nodding for no reason whatsoever, I clicked the tab and then without prompting I went ahead and opened the Starter Pack.

**[Inventory]**  
**[Starter Pack (Human)]**

**[Ding!]**  
**[For opening Starter Pack (Human) you have received]**  
25,000 Yen  
Body at peak Physical Fitness  
{Passive Skill: Magic Core - Small}  
{Passive Skill: Magic Control - Beginner}  
Sacred Gear Randomizer (Gamer Edition)  
Your House

Giving a low whistle I couldn't help but be impressed with the starting set. The new body was going to be soooo helpful, the two magic skills were kinda self-explanatory but no less appreciated, and I wasn't even gonna question the meaning behind "Your House".

**[Great! Now that you've got your Starter Pack, how about we open up the Randomizer? Even we don't know what you're gonna get!]**

Alright then, should be fun!

**[You have selected Sacred Gear Randomizer (Gamer Version). Would you like to open this?]  
{YES/NO}**

Clicking the {YES} I was met with a spinning roulette wheel stylized with dozens of different symbols. A couple symbols being things I could guess their meaning behind like the couple sword symbols I saw, a couple obviously revolving around the elements, and the rare few that had an "L". The meaning behind those ones is rather obvious, but also very nerve inducing considering the _possibilities_.

The roulette wheel took about a solid minute to come to a complete stop, but when it did it landed on…is that a little ghost? Wait no it's like baaarrrrely set along the line between the ghost and a "L".

**[Congratulations you have received the Sacred Gear - Trinity Tuner!]**

Trinity Tuner? I've never heard of that Sacred Gear before…though I suppose since the Randomizer was a "Gamer Version" it's perhaps a new Sacred Gear.

**[Congratulations on getting a Sacred Gear! Now that you're equipped, have chosen to remain human for some weird reason, and have a basic understanding of how to use your new found abilities; we think this is a good place to stop the tutorial!]**

Wait that's it!? What the-

* * *

BEEP BEEP BEEP!

-hell!...Why is there a clock going off next to my ear.

Turning to the side I was met with, wouldn't ya guessed it, a clock beeping- BEEP BEEP BEEP- away on my bedside table…

Up until I remembered that I didn't _have_ a bedside table to put a clock on. Shooting up from the bed, I began to frantically look around…only to then realize that this was most definitely _not_ _my_ _bed_.

A slower, more precise, look around revealed my surroundings, and I found myself in a relatively large bedroom with what looked to be a private bathroom, walk-in closet, and a large, dark oak desk set along the wall opposite the bathroom.

**[Notification! A message has been left in your mailbox!]**

Jerking back from the glowing screen that appeared in my face, I stared wide eyed for a moment before remembering how exactly a screen was now appearing in front of me. I remembered the fact that I _died_ and…and…

Nothing. I…I didn't really feel anything I should be feeling. Sure there was anger, sadness, and a whole bunch of mind numbing _guilt _over leaving my friends and aunt behind…

But at the same time I wasn't feeling any of that. I could still feel the emotions right under the surface of course, but they just couldn't seem to overcome the utter calm I was feeling and come pouring out and make me a blubbering mess _like it should be doing right now_-

Wait a moment.

"[Menu, [Skills]."

Quickly scanning through the skills I had, I breathed a resigned, and dare I say _relieved_, breath as I stared at the skill known as {Gamer Mind}.

**Gamer Mind, Passive {Lv: MAX}:  
**_When you play games have you ever noticed that the characters in the games tend to have a hard time expressing their emotions, or they simply don't display emotions like fear in the middle of battle. Well guess what? You've got that now!  
__Allows the user to calmly and logically think things through. Allows for a peaceful state of mind while in battle or in stressful situations.  
__Immunity to psychological/mental effects or attacks._

Of course I would have one of the two staple skills of [The Gamer] ability. It was honestly a necessity for most Gamers since most ended up in not so nice places.

Thankfully my version of {Gamer Mind} didn't seem to completely shut down all other emotions at all times. Something I think may have had to do with the second line talking about allowing for a peaceful state of mind while in battle or _stressful situations_. Considering I was close to having a panic attack when my memories hit me all at once, I can only be thankful for the skill I suppose.

**Ding!  
[By realizing what was causing your mental stability and overcoming it in a short amount of time +2 WIS!]**

Well that's rather nice…though that does bring up a bit of a conundrum…eh I'll get to that in a second for now. Onwards to the skills!

**[Passive Skills]**

**Gamer Mind, Passive {Lv: MAX}:  
**_When you play games have you ever noticed that the characters in the games tend to have a hard time expressing their emotions, or they simply don't display emotions like fear in the middle of battle. Well guess what? You've got that now!  
__Allows the user to calmly and logically think things through.  
Allows for a peaceful state of mind while in battle or in stressful situations.__{Immunity to psychological effects or attacks.}_

**Gamer Body, Passive {Lv: MAX}:  
**_You live in a world of numbers and letters, and as a result have the body of a video game character that allows for the user to live the real world like a game.  
You are highly unlikely to take permanent damage, and you will not feel pain past the first few seconds after receiving a wound. You can heal by eating food or medicine instantly.  
Your HP, SP, and MP are restored based on the location of where you slept. _

**Magic Core - Small, Passive {Lv: 1} {Exp: 0.0%}:  
**_Mana is a spiritual power that exists in every living thing on the planet. In turn some beings have developed a spiritual organ within the body that exists to filter mana from the environment into the owner's body as well as give them access to their own inner magic.  
Grants the user access to MP and MPR.  
250 MP to overall MP. _

**Magic Control - Beginner, Passive {Lv: 1} {Exp: 0.0%}:  
**_With the ability to use magic comes the skill needed to wield said magic. Some of the legends in spell crafting tell of spell slingers able to decimate mountains with a single spell or even creating magic capable of manipulating time. But every legend starts with the basics. Now it's your turn.  
Level and stage of magic control dictates overall skill and control of magic.  
Magic based skills cost -5% MP to cast. Magic based skills gain 5% damage when used offensively._

**Auto Translate, Passive {Lv: MAX}:  
**_Just what every would be dimensional traveler needs! This skill will translate all languages you hear, speak, read, and write into your most familiar language! Otherwise it wouldn't be nearly as fun for the viewers at home! _

**Sacred Gear - Trinity Tuner, Passive/Active {Lv: 1} {Exp: 0.0%}:  
**_Also known as __**The Plane of Boundless Souls**__, Trinity Tuner is a Sacred Gear with the potential to become Longinus Tier. It's main ability is to create an inner world that allows excess souls to reside in. It then can combine lost souls and spirits (otherwise known as Phantasms) to either the owner's own power or that of their weapons.  
__Active Phantasms (Max: 1): NONE_

**[Active Skills]**

**Observation, Active {Lv: 1} {Exp: 0.0%}:  
**_An advanced magical skill that allows one to find out information they usually wouldn't be able to discover.  
Allows one to see Basic Information, HP, and MP of an individual.  
Cost: 1 MP_

...unholy shit.

Okay firstly, _**Longinus potential Sacred Gear!**_ That is definitely something serious to note.

Secondly. Do I have a _fucking_ _**Reality Marble?! **_

Seriously! It sounds like the basic premise behind a Reality Marble at least in that it allows me to create an inner world. An inner world that apparently will allow me to affect reality by manifesting the ability/powers/strengths of "lost souls" as if I were using _**Personas**_.

Not that I'm complaining mind you. I love the Persona/Megami Tensei franchise! Though I do wonder what exactly it _means_ by "lost souls".

…maybe IDs created mobs that can drop stuff like that for me to use? It was called a "Gamer Version" after all.

**Ding!  
[By thinking logically about a newly acquired skill and how it may work as a "Gamer Version", +1 INT!]**

Niiiiice looks like asking convoluted questions is gonna help me a lot more than I thought!

All of that aside it'd probably be a good idea to check my Mailbox.

**[You have one new message!]**

**[Hello -Warren Fall- as to help with your assimilation into your new role as 'The Gamer' several things have already been taken care of for you. For one, you have already been registered for Kuoh Academy's spring semester as a second year student which will begin in two weeks' time. Secondly, all your daily bills have been paid off indefinitely. Finally, a folder containing all the information you need to know about your new life is on the desk, and a booklet containing Your House's new features is downstairs.]**

**[By reading this message you have completed Tutorial I! Have a cookie!...Oh and here are the rest of your rewards.]**

**Quest Complete!  
[Tutorial I (Into a New World)]  
**{Objective: Finish Tutorial 1!}  
Rewards: 1 Cookie, 100 Exp, {New Skills: ID Create: Empty}, {ID Create: Battle Tutorial}, and {ID Escape}.

**[Level Up!]**

Nice! I was really hoping I'd get {ID Create}. That's not only gonna make life a lot easier, but it will also allow me to check if my idea about my Sacred Gear is right or not.

**Ding! Quest Alert!  
[Tutorial II (IDs, Battles, and Bosses)!]  
**_A new tutorial is now available to help you understand the battle system and ID system!_  
{Objective: Complete Tutorial II!}  
Rewards: 500 Exp, 10,000 Yen, Uncommon Item Randomizer, and {ID Create: Battle Zone}]  
{Bonus Objectives X 3: 100 Exp per Bonus Objective completed}  
**Accept / **Decline

Huh…I guess the tutorial could help, even if I did have a basic idea of how this is gonna go, but the fact that I can't even {Decline} the quest was a little annoying since that was probably going to be a returning feature in future quests. Still, I should probably prepare some before I continue.

"[Menu], [Stats]."

**[Name: Warren Fall] ****[Race: Human] [Gender: Male] [Age: 16]  
[Titles] [The Gamer] [XXX] [XXX]  
****[Sacred Gear: Trinity Tuner {Lv: 1} {Exp: 0.0%}]  
[Level: 2] [Next Level: 0.0%] **

**[HP: 175/ 175] [HPR: 3.5 a Minute]  
[MP: 425/ 425] [MPR: 4.0 a Minute]  
[SP: 175/ 175] [SPR: 3.5 a Minute]**

**[STR: 6]  
[AGI: 6]  
[VIT: 7]  
****[END: 7]  
****[INT: 7]  
****[WIS: 8]  
****[LUCK: 6]  
****[Unused Stat Points: 36]  
Title:  
[The Gamer]: **_Grants Passive Skills: {Gamer Body} and {Gamer Mind}_**  
Passive Boosts:  
**({Magic Core} +250 MP)

Damn {Magic Core} was a nice boost…though I guess now would be a good time to bring up what I was worried about earlier after I got the WIS and INT notifications.

You see in most cases; it would be a good idea to try and use all my Unused Stat Points now in order to make sure I wasn't utterly curb stomped as soon as I found my way into a fight. The inclusion of gaining stat points by doing tasks changes things; however, as there are now numerous ways for me to gain stat points besides having to rely on my Unused Stat Points. Unused Stat Points that will become harder and harder to gain as I level up and continue to grow stronger which in turn makes the gaps in-between level ups that much wider.

**[For realizing such an integral part of the Gamer System and trying to plan around it +1 INT and WIS.] **

You see!

But at the moment, I do need to at least make myself at least decently strong. That's just something that I can't put off at the moment sooo-

**[HP: 250/ 250] [HPR: 5.0 a Minute]  
[MP: 500/ 500] [MPR: 5.0 a Minute]  
[SP: 250/ 250] [SPR: 5.0 a Minute]**

**[STR: 6] 2 = 8  
[AGI: 6] 2 = 8  
[VIT: 7] 3 = 10  
****[END: 7] 3 = 10  
****[INT: 8] 2 = 10  
****[WIS: 9] 1 = 10  
****[LUCK: 6]  
****[Unused Stat Points: 23] **

Alright…I think that is about as balanced as I can get without needlessly wasting unused stat points.

**[For trying to distribute your stat points to make sure you're prepared, +1 WIS.]**

Thank you~

**[Happy to see you're ready for the next step! Now firstly, you'll probably want to put on some more appropriate clothing.]**

"Huh?" Looking down, I saw that I was only currently wearing a pair of sweatpants as pajamas. I also saw the results of what a "Body at peak Physical Fitness" looked like as I now sported zero body fat, very defined muscles in my limbs, a freaking six pack, and even a legitimate V cut figure. My new build was not exceedingly muscular; however, and instead seemed to just be a more defined runner's build with upper body muscles to match.

A slightly disturbing addition; however, was the puncture scar right where the sword that originally killed me had pierced my heart.

Shaking off the worrying memories (and allowing {Gamer Mind} to do its thing), I looked through the walk in closet which wielded clothing both my size and my particular style. After a quick look at what was available, I grabbed a pair of grey jeans, a white V-neck, a black, sleeveless hoodie, a pair of belts where one went through my pant loops while the other hung crooked, and a pair of dark grey sneakers.

Looking at the full length mirror set up along the back, I also discovered that I had retained my black hair and old style, but my eyes had changed from their previous dark blue into a startling _gold_ that was in no way normal…

But they were _**warm**_, much warmer (and even kinder) than my previous, somewhat dull, eye color had been.

Deciding I might as well look through my new house, I also went exploring a little, and what I discovered was what could only be described as my _dream house_.

After looking out the window, I found that I had been given a two story, suburban house located in a decent looking neighborhood. The top floor contained a three bedrooms; the master bedroom, the bedroom I woke up in, housed a personal bathroom while the hallway contained a hub bath for multiple people to use.

The downstairs area was where things got _interesting_.

The living room contained a couple leather couches which were really comfy, numerous recliners, and it looked to be connected to the kitchen via a set of swing doors and a long open window which seemed to function as a counter/bar. The actual centerpiece of the living room; however, was what I could only call a "Wall of Gamer". An entire wall to wall entertainment center was set up along the wall farthest from the kitchen entrance; the entertainment center housing well over thirty different game systems of different makes and models and an utterly _massive_ flat screen that was perfect for gaming. I spent a good ten minutes just staring at the "Wall of Gamer'' before eagerly going through all the games provided and practically salivated at what I found.

The kitchen was the second area of immense interest, and if the living room was a gamer's dreamland then the kitchen was a chef's _paradise_. It housed two, top of the line, ovens, two different stove tops each containing ten eyes each, a fryer station housing multiple fryers, two dishwashers with a plethora of dishes and utensils for future use, at least four different microwaves and toasters located at varying positions along the walls and counter tops, a walk in cabinet well over twice the size of my new upstairs closet, a walk in freezer the same size, and finally, a central island that I found with a push of the button could transform into unfolded hibachi grill. I once again went about practically salivating at the dream kitchen I now had, and I had to drag myself away in order not to start cooking at that very moment.

The final area of interest was surprisingly enough the basement. Why you ask? Well considering it was a man cave of epic proportions, what do you think?! I mean seriously; it had two pool tables ready and waiting to be used, recliners of various makes and models that all looked comfy as fuck, numerous flat screens positioned at different ends of the room, and finally...a _bar_. A honest to god, fully stocked bar that from just a quick look contained rare and valuable bottles of alcohol that I had only ever dreamed of tasting. I think it should go without saying that I finally couldn't hold it in anymore and started _actually_ salivating from my now unhinged jaw.

Finally done with my looking around (and cleaning up the slight mess I made), I went about finding the booklet mentioned before. Upon finding it on one of the living room couches and reading through it, I came to realize just what exactly my new home **truly** was. To put it bluntly, my new house was the equivalent of a _**magic bomb shelter**_. It could survive a full powered attack from an Ultimate Class devil (it claimed though I would never wish to test such), and it could keep out anyone trying to teleport into it (or simply break in really) with extreme prejudice. It also had the ability to silence and lock any room in the house for privacy...make of that what you will. Finally, every function of the house was connected to my [Gamer System] in such a way that I could activate the silencing and locking features with just a verbal command. I could control every electronically based appliance in my kitchen (which was all of them) with nary a thought. Finally, I would get notifications if someone attempted to enter the house without my permission and activate the defensive wards accordingly.

Something I also looked at was my [BGM] Tab, and I turned off {Level Up Notifications} for skills because I was _obviously_ going to try and grind {Observation} while I was walking around my house. The numerous text boxes flying into my face every time I leveled up the skill got very annoying, very quickly, and I could only imagine the amount of times an untimely text box to the face could screw me over in the middle of battle.

**[Well now that you've finished gawking over your dream home, what's to say we get to fighting some things!? All you've gotta say is {ID Create: Battle Tutorial}, and the system will take care of the rest. Oh, also try and make a cool pose for when you do it!]**

It took all I had to not deadpan at the system for that last bit before just sighing and deciding "screw it" as I went about raising my hand up and pretended to grip the air above my hand like I was trying to break something.

"{ID Create: Battle Tutorial}!"

With the skill vocalized and a surge of what I assumed to be mana shooting up my arm, the world around me proceeded to literally crack and fall apart like glass and be replaced with a red moon, lit city. My current location appeared to be a random suburb lined with an assortment of modern houses. They were more foreboding; however, as each was lined with dark gray and black colored brick instead of the usual white. The fact that they were all illuminated by the creepy ass red moon didn't really help either.

**[Now before we actually get you into the fighting, we should probably see about getting you a weapon or two.]**

**[Please Pick 2 (will be random of each type)]**  
**[Sword]**  
**[Axe]**  
**[Knuckles]**  
**[Pole Arm]**  
**[Handgun]**  
**[Rifle]**  
**[Shotgun]**

"Sword and Handgun."

In a burst of white light, I soon found myself with a sword in one hand and a pistol in the other. The sword appeared to be styled after a cutlass with a basic grey hand guard while the pistol appeared to be a six shooter with a white handle that had a simple looking magic circle etched into it.

"{Observe}." And I, obviously, went about using {Observation} on them.

**Steel Cutlass {Common} {Item: Sword}:  
**_A regular cutlass made of steel which in turn makes it a sturdy weapon for any beginner.  
Deals 10-15 Physical DMG_

**Magic Revolver {Common} {Item: Small Firearm / Mystic Code}:  
**_A regular revolver enchanted to fire magic bullets so the need for real bullets isn't needed.  
Reload Cost: 1 MP per full reload  
Deals 5 Magical DMG per 1 round_

**[Oh wait! We forgot that we didn't tell you about the different types of Damages and Defenses!] **

**[Damage (DMG) and Defense (DEF) are split into two different categories: Physical and Magical. Physical DMG and DEF are obviously tied into physically based attacks or defense. Magical DMG and DEF are also obviously tied into magically based attacks or defense.]  
[Both DMG and DEF are also points either added or subtracted from skills or equipment that either adds or deducts damage you would either inflict or take from an enemy.]**

Okay that makes sense. Though now I can't help but compare it to the Physical/Special split in Pokémon.

**[Eh they are kinda the same. Now that you're equipped; however, let's start the first wave!]**

Wait, what do you mean first-

**[WAVE 1 – 3. START!]**

-wave? Well that answers my questionnnnn- "What the hell is THAT!?"

I mean because seriously even with {Gamer Mind} keeping me from freaking out that doesn't stop the _baser fear_ I felt upon watching the mass of human flesh that could only be a non-living, non-breathing _**zombie **_stumble its way towards me from where it appeared around a corner.

"Oh that is just…actually not all that bad," I pondered aloud after looking closer at the shambling figure. I mean don't get me wrong; the thing had clumps of flesh missing from various parts of its body, and I could almost see the flies around its form from where I was standing. It still had a bit of an almost cartoonish quality to it; however, that made it not all that bad. I mean at least it didn't look as bad as some of the really fucked up zombies made over the years for TV shows and video games.

Or maybe {Gamer Mind} was just putting in some serious work. Probably both now that I think about it. "Groooo." Oh right, that thing is still an issue-HOLY IT'S 5 FEET FROM ME!

"BANG BANG BANG!" Three yellow, marble sized, magic bullets instantly connected with the walking corpse, and with it the entirety of the zombie's left shoulder and arm were blown off like wet tissue paper.

**[A new skill has been discovered thanks to a specific action!]**  
**Firearm Mastery - Beginner, Passive {Lv: 1} {Exp: 11.8%}:  
**_Ever since the creation of the firearm there have been those who have grown to be considered the greatest sharpshooters in the world. But like all those greats, you too must start from the beginning.  
1% Proficiency with Gun based weapons  
Lv = Extra DMG dealt with a gun_

"Damnnn," I breathed out rather impressed while looking down at the smoking gun in my hand. Looking back at the zombie, I was further surprised to find no blood actually stemming from the wound like you would figure, but I factored that into either this world's "anime logic" (though I kinda doubted it since Highschool DxD wasn't exactly squeamish about showing blood and the like), or the enemies in my IDs simply were for training purposes and thus there was no need to make them able to bleed and stuff.

Actually now that I have a moment to think, considering the force of the shots caused it to stumble backwards, "{Observe}".

**[Zombie] [Lv: 5] [Race: Basic Undead]**  
**[HP: 324/ 500] [SP: 100/ 100] [MP: 0/ 0]  
[STR: 15] [AGI: 5] [VIT: 20] [END: 4] [INT: 0] [WIS: 0]** **[LUCK: 0]**

How the heck did I just deal that much damage?!

**[Dealing severe damage (i.e. dismembering) to an opponent will likely result in mass loss of HP depending on damage done. (Because anyone missing an arm is obviously going to be in bad shape for it.)]**

Oh…well that makes sense I suppose.

Still that is a _lot_ of HP/VIT for something only Lv5. Though I suppose the fact that it has zero intelligence (literally) will make this reasonably easier.

"Grooo," the zombie groaned out further proving me right as it seemingly didn't even notice the fact that it just lost a limb.

Quickly shoving my revolver into my hoodie's front pocket, I went about testing out my new cutlass. Ducking under a wild swing from the zombie, I stabbed forward with the cutlass into its side. Proving my earlier observations correct, no blood or gore of any kind shot out at the attack (thank goodness), and the attack caught the undead walker off guard enough for me to retch my sword from its side causing it to be even more torn apart as a result. This action stunned it even more so, and I was easily able to plant a kick in its already damaged side to bend it over before swinging in a wide arc at its now lowered head-

**{Critical Hit!}**

-which in turn split its skull clean open. The resulting strike (and Critical) being just enough to take it out with little fanfare. The rewards left behind, after it pretty much exploded into golden sparkles of light after being defeated, were only a measly 10 EXP and about 200 yen in change, so pretty meh rewards for a first kill.

**[A new skill has been discovered thanks to a specific action!]**  
**Single Sword Mastery - Beginner, Passive {Lv: 1} {Exp: 13.6%}:  
**_The sword is seen as one of the most important and famous weapons of all time. It is a weapon that has been used by practically every great empire in the world, and it is considered by many in modern day as the weapon of any true warrior. Seen in the hands of both heroes and villains alike, you must choose which path you will follow.  
1% Proficiency with a single Bladed weapon.  
Lv = Extra DMG dealt with a sword._

**[Oi don't get so high and mighty, like you just said it was your first kill on a rather weak enemy. Thankfully we've got some more Waves!]**

**[WAVE 2 – 3. START!]**

Well that was fasttt hello zombies all around me.

Looking around quickly, I was met with more zombies assembled at random points down the street. Another look revealed a new enemy in the shambling horde as there were a couple rather basic looking skeleton mobs with purple robes.

"{Observe}."

**[Skull Servant] [Lv: 6] [Race: Basic Undead]**  
**[HP: 200/ 200] [SP: 200/ 200] [MP: 400/ 400]  
[STR: 5] [AGI: 5] [VIT: 8] [END: 8] [INT: 16] [WIS: 5]** **[LUCK: 0]**

Wait, the Skull Servants have MP? If I'm figuring this right then since they have the ability to use MP doesn't that mean they can-FIREBALL!

Diving to the side, I narrowly dodged a fireball the size of a beach ball hurtling towards me. I then had to quickly move again in order to avoid another two coming from the other Skull Servants. Unfortunately I wasn't fast enough and one of the fireballs skimmed my arm as it flew past and dealt a small chunk of damage in the process.

"Okay then you bags of bones die first," I spat out as I shot at one of the skeletons a couple of times before diving through a couple of zombies in order to strike it down for good. Unfortunately before I could, I was hit in the back hard enough to make me topple over, and I had to swing wildly before I could pull myself away from the few zombies that had tried to corner me.

"Maybe not my smartest move," I said with a wince before {Gamer Body} kicked in and removed the pain from the bruises I was sure to have had otherwise.

**[HP: 212/ 250] [HPR: 5.0 a Minute]  
[MP: 500/ 500] [MPR: 5.5 a Minute]  
[SP: 250/ 250] [SPR: 5.0 a Minute]**

"Tch, gonna have to fight smarter I suppose," I muttered while eyeing the remaining zombies and fire throwing skeletons. Good thing too considering one of the skellies threw a fireball not a moment later. Feeling inspiration strike, I pulled my sword arm back and readied to bring down the blade.

"Video game and anime logic don't fail me now!" I yelled out while swinging the blade into the incoming fireball with all the power my 8 STR could manage. Unfortunately video game logic did in fact fail me as instead of hitting the fireball back at its user like I intended, it instead _cut the fireball in half_.

**[A new skill has been discovered thanks to a specific action!]**  
**Power Slash, Active {Lv: 1} {Exp: 5.4%}:  
**_A basic, empowered slash that deals relatively more damage than a regular strike. Can only be used in conjunction with a Bladed weapon.  
__Cost: 5 SP  
Adds 10 Physical DMG Base Damage  
_

New skill aside, I really wanna try and recreate that rebound attack.

Taking a moment to deal with a few of the nearby zombies as they closed in, I waited for one of the Skull Servants to launch another fireball. As soon as one did, I went about preparing to slash at the fireball once again.

The moment before my slash would connect; however, I focused on the feeling I got earlier when I used {ID Create}, and I sent a quick burst of mana through the blade to try and see if that would get me the results I wanted.

The answer would be a resounding _NO _again because instead of hitting the fireball back, it instead set a _golden colored air slash_ through the fireball and into the Skull Servant; knocking it back a dozen or so feet in the process.

**[A new skill has been discovered thanks to a specific action!]**  
**Flying Slash, Active {Lv: 1} {Exp: 5.5%}:  
**_By sending magic through your blade at the last moment, you have created a long range attack with a close range weapon via magic. Tada!  
__Cost: 5 MP  
Deals 10 Magical DMG _ _Base Damage_

Okay sweet, I've now got a magical attack that is also long range, BUT I still _really_ want that rebound attack! And I think {Flying Slash}'s description may have given me just the idea to create it.

So once again I readied myself for a Skull Servant to attack (while having to take out a zombie who got a little too touchy feely for a moment), and when it did, instead of sending a burst of mana through my cutlass at the last moment, I channeled mana through the blade continuously while swinging with all my might. This created a second, translucent, layer of golden energy to coat the blade, and caused the fireball that impacted it to go flying backwards towards its caster at nearly double the speed, FINALLY!

**[A new skill has been discovered thanks to a specific action!]**  
**Counter, Active {Lv: 1} {Exp: 6.8%}:  
**_By combining magic and your empowered strike (i.e. END), you now can counter attacks thrown at you! Meliodas would be so proud!  
Cost: MP and SP equal to the original cost of skill countered. (i.e. if attack was only used via MP you still have to pay SP equal to MP and vise versa.  
Deals Original DMG of skill countered X 2. If Physically based, deal Physical DMG. If Magically based, deal Magical DMG._

"Fuck yes! Now that's what I'm talking about!" I shouted gleefully as I read over the skill. I mean sure the fact I had to use the same amount of MP _and_ SP my opponent used would be annoying, but damn it if it wasn't going to be useful.

"Now that I can deal with that," I said while slightly shifting from my regular tone and stance," let's see about dealing with the rest of you undead fuckers." A bloodthirsty grin making its way across my face in the process, and my new posture screamed my want to send the undead enemies before me to a second death.

You know…I don't think I ever did tell you guys about my **absolute hatred/fear** of the undead huh? I mean it's kinda a tossup at times because either I'm scared to death (hehe pun) of them, or I'm pissed off that such an unoriginal thing even _exists_.

**[A new skill has been discovered thanks to a specific action!]**  
**Intimidation, Active {Lv: 1} {Exp: 10.1%}:  
**_By giving in to your bloodthirsty nature, you can cause fear in those that had the misfortune of pissing you off. It's time to get your ger face on!  
__Cost: 0  
Can Stun those lower or equal level to yours. Makes those higher leveled than you, wary of you._

What happened next could only really be called _all out carnage_ as the Zombies seemed to realize that I was no longer just testing stuff out, and thus began a forward charge in a very zombie esc fashion. Revolver and cutlass worked in tandem to clear a path through the zombies to the remaining Skull Servant, and once there I took great satisfaction in using {Counter} at point blank range to kill off the final fire juggler. The long range mobs dealt with it was really only a matter of using {Power Slash} a couple of times, a few {Flying Slashes} into the mass to cull the number somewhat, and a few more reloads of my revolver to shoot off any limbs that tried to hit me, and the horde was dealt with.

The overall haul for that particular wave was a solid 5,000 yen, enough Exp to get me to Lv3, at least 1 level to pretty much all my new skills, and a few points for my different stats thanks to using them in a battle environment. (I actually got a point in STR when I back handed a zombie hard enough to make its head literally spin.) Oh, I also found a few scraps of cloth that seemed to have come off the Skull Servants.

**Magic Saturated Cloth {Common} {Item: Material}:  
**_A rather basic material that can be combined with more cloth in order to make magic enhanced clothing. Better effects can be made available with the introduction of added reagents or enchantments._

All in all a much better haul than that first wave.

**[Damnnn boy, you're doing a lot better than we thought you would! Hmm actually, ya know what? How about for your final fight in the tutorial; we add a boss into the mix?!]**

**[FINAL WAVE START!]**

**[Boss Stage Rearrangement Begin]**

Before I could even go about questioning the last text box the ground beneath me began to shake hard enough to make me fall over, and the buildings around me began to literally slide away. The area's "rearrangement" continued for a solid thirty seconds, and upon ending the result was a good quarter-mile of open space with me in the epicenter.

Dusting myself off after having fallen over, I gazed around the open area wondering what on earth I was supposed to be fight-

"**ROARRRR!**"

Before that line of thought froze along with the rest of my body at the fucking _dragon esc roar _that seemed to rend the air apart around me_. _I then slowly went about glancing up, and then went wide eyed at the _thing_ trying and failing to fly in a straight line towards me.

Purple like flesh (because I seriously doubt scales have the ability to **rot**) adorned a body easily the size of a double decker bus, with clumps of said flesh appearing to be either missing or rotted off, leaving red muscle visible for all to see. Large wings with enough tears and holes that it had no right to fly at all decorated its back while its tail appeared to just simply hang off its rear as if it were one hit away from simply falling off. Finally, filled with yellow colored gases which I was sure as hell wasn't smoke, was a distinctly _dragon_ shaped head glaring down at me with yellow eyes that screamed of malicious intent.

All of these things were observed in my eyes, but the true reason I became frozen in place was because I'm pretty sure I went into _shock_ from the pure _**power**_ seemingly emitting from the abomination flying overhead.

It was at the moment, I understood why the various factions feared dragons no matter their size or level of power.

Hell if it weren't for {Gamer Mind}, I'm pretty sure I would have continued to simply gape at the dragon flying toward me. As it was, with {Gamer Mind} forcing me into an extremely _false_ state of calm I was actually able to think coherently enough to think, '{Observe}'.

**[Zombie Dragon] [Lv: 15] [Race: Undead Dragon]  
[HP: 1000/ 1000] [SP: 500/ 500] [MP: 750/ 750]  
[STR: 20] [AGI: 20] [VIT: 40] [END: 20] [INT: 30] [WIS: 15]** **[LUCK: 0]**

"For fucks sake [Gamer System]!" I cursed aloud at the sheer _absurdity_ of what was being thrown at me. I was _**Level 3**_ for God's-er wait that's right he's not…available. Uhhh how about for Gabriel's sake? Yeah Gabriel seems like a pretty fair and nice Seraph that wouldn't mind being used for calling out bullshit because that right there! _That_ is _**bullshit**_!

"**ROARRR!**" Dammit and here that particular piece of bullshit comes!

Diving to the side I was barely able to dodge the rather wild dive the Zombie Dragon tried to pull off before taking a couple quick shots at its side to figure out how much damage I could even deal this thing. The answer was about a clean 24 which while not necessarily _bad_; it was most definitely not _good_.

Especially since before I could even react the zombie lizard dug its, surprisingly intact, claws in the concrete below, burned off pretty much its entire momentum in moments, and turned on a dime in order to breathe a cloud of gas into my face.

"Oh Gabriel that is rank!" I wheezed out as my lungs began to burn as if I were inhaling acid. The force behind the breath attack went as far as to send me skidding backwards a couple yards and almost making me lose my weapons in the process.

**[You have been Poisoned!]**

**[Status Ailment Unlocked!]**  
**[Poison: Deals damage over time with different types dealing more damage over time.]**

Damn! How much damage did all that just deal?!

**[HP: 175/ 300] [HPR: 6.0 a Minute]**  
**{Status Ailment: Poison I: -10 HP per 30 Seconds for 5 Minutes}**

Unholy Shit! Poison by itself is going to do 100 damage-GIANT HAND!?

Once again diving to the side in order to avoid the giant limb about to smash me into paste, I quickly went about putting some more distance between us. Turning back to the dragon, I quickly aimed with my revolver and-

"Did you really just get your arm stuck in the ground?!" I asked incredulously as the Zombie Dragon tried to pull its arm from the hole it made in the ground below. Of course who was I to let this golden opportunity leave me, and proceeded to lay into the thing with as many shots and {Flying Slashes} as I could manage because no way in hell was I going to be around that thing when it finally got free.

I had to stop; however, when the overgrown gecko finally got its arm free. The look of murderous rage in its eyes only shone brighter as it roared and rushed at me.

"Nope nope nope!" I cried out as I ran, and somehow outpaced, the dragon as it shambled after me.

**[A new skill has been discovered thanks to a specific action!]**  
**Sprint, Active {Lv: 1} {Exp: 23.7%}:  
**_By putting your all into running (away like a sissy), you've got yourself a fancy new skill!  
__Cost: 5 SP per 10 seconds  
1.5 X Movement Speed when in use_

Huh, neat. Still I'm pretty sure that thing did more damage to itself than I did when it ripped its arm out of the ground if it's this slow…on…land…

Now _that's_ an idea!

"Come on you overgrown vape smoker, I'm right here!" I shouted at the dragon as I stopped in my tactical retreat. The insult seemed to help (Read: **make it pissed off**) as the dragon attempted to once again smash me with its giant clawed limb.

But instead of dodging out of the way, I reared my sword arm back and slammed it forward into a picture perfect {Counter}. The skill not only stopped the Zombie Dragon's attack cold, but it practically retched its limb out of its rotting socket from how hard and fast it shot backward as its own striking power was turned against it.

**{Critical Hit!}**

**[By dealing massive damage to a superior opponent through-]**

"Not now!," I yelled, making the text box disappear as I had to rapidly backpedal away from the zombie gecko as it tried to eat me whole. Thankfully the loss of its limb made it that much slower on land, and I was actually able to get off a few shots and {Flying Slashes} as I continuously dodged.

"GROARRR!" Unfortunately the Zombie Dragon seemed to also realize (damn it and its 15 WIS; it had a _learning curve_) that it was no longer a threat of land. As was seen by it finally deciding enough was enough, and it quickly spread its massive ripped wings and proceeded to catch flight. The gale force winds it caused in its upward flight practically blowing me off my feet…

However distance wasn't really an issue now was it?

I quickly went about laying into the beast as much as possible with my revolver and {Flying Slashes} while having to make the occasional dive out of the way in order to not get knocked off my feet when it attempted to barrel roll at me. Eventually the undead dragon finally seemed to understand that whatever it did close range wasn't going to work, so it sucked in a huge gulp of air, strained its rotting jaw wide open, and shot out a giant, yellowish green fireball _twice my fucking size_.

"Okay…fuck that." Concentrating all my remaining MP and SP into my sword, causing it to light up like a golden _light saber _for a brief moment, and trying to focus as much as possible over the heat the fireball brought about at such close range, I swung at the fireball with all my might-

"_**{Counter}**_!"

-and slammed the fireball back at the flying death gecko at _twice its original speed_.

I could actually _see_ the moment the poor excuse for a dragon realized it was screwed before it went up in a massive explosion-

**{Critical Hit!} **"CRASH!"

-and then dropped out of the resulting smoke cloud with a massive crash and raising even more dust and smoke in its wake.

Finally having a moment to breathe and let my adrenaline drop, I finally realized just how tired all of that had made me. Not in the traditional sense mind you, {Gamer Body} made sure of that, but more so in that I could _feel_ how low my magic was, and the strain my body was under with my HP and SP being so low-

**[Level Up!]**

-only for all that all to disappear like it never bothered me as the level up refilled my MP instantly and all my previously lost HP and SP was restored. Thank you {Gamer Body}!

**[Now **_**that's**_ **how you deal with a boss monster! No one ever said you had to use some bullshit shonan magic to end the opponent. Wit and Intelligence are all you need sometimes, especially for a Gamer.]**

**[For defeating an overwhelming enemy in an intelligent manner +2 INT and 2 WIS. Also it's recommended you go look through what loot it dropped.]**

Before actually heading the textbox's advice, I quickly went into my [BGM] Tab and switched off the notifications for when I got stat points in battle because that almost really screwed me over after I took out the Zombie Dragon's arm.

With that done, I _now_ heeded the textbox's advice and went over to the crash site. Upon arriving, I found about 7,000 yen in cash (Ya!) and something…different.

"Okay what exactly am I looking at here?" I voiced aloud as I stared at the floating…ball? I mean it kinda looked like what you would imagine a Will-o-Wisp to look like, if a Will-o-Wisp was black in color, "{Observe}"

**Unawakened Dragon Phantasm - DARK - Tier III {Item: Phantasm}:  
**_This DARK affinity, Dragon Phantasm is currently "asleep". In order to use this Phantasm you must use Trinity Tuner in order to "awaken" the Phantasm dwelling within.  
Can be awakened in order to gain a new, Tier III, Dragon Phantasm of the DARK affinity_

**[What you see before you is an "Unawakened" Phantasm which you can use to acquire new Phantasms. You will find that most Phantasms will remain the same as the enemy that dropped them as this is your tutorial stage; however, we figured a better reward was in order. This also means the best way to get Phantasms is to beat strong opponents!]**

**[The Tab –Sacred Gear- is now available!]**

**[The Sub Tab –Phantasms- is now available!]**

As soon as I was done reading the final text box, the "Unawakened" Phantasm flew forward and seemingly into my chest. Blinking away my surprise over the action, I shrugged it off in order to continue reading the newest batch of the pop ups.

**Quest Complete!  
[Tutorial II (IDs, Battles, and Bosses)!]  
**_A new tutorial is now available to help you understand the battle system and ID system!_  
{Objective: Complete Tutorial II}  
Rewards: 500 Exp, 10,000 Yen, Uncommon Item Randomizer, and ID Create: Battle Zone]  
{Bonus Objectives: 100 Exp per Bonus Objective completed}  
\- Discover at least 5 new skills (**Complete!**)  
\- Defeat Wave 2 without losing half your HP (**Complete!**)  
\- Never fall below half HP (_**Failed!**_)  
Bonus Rewards: 200 Exp

**[Level Up!]**

**[Level Up!]**

Well with that done, I took a quick glance around in order to make sure I didn't miss anything. Not seeing anything that would constitute as important I went about raising my hand into the air and intoned, "{ID Escape}!"

With those words said the world proceeded to shatter and fall apart before my eyes like pieces of glass. When the transition was done, I found myself back in my living room right where I had started with a quick look at the nearest wall confirming that not even an _hour _had passed.

Now let's see. I woke up this morning to find myself having been reborn as {The Gamer}, this event also leading me to being reborn into the world of Highschool DxD with a Sacred Gear, fought a horde of zombies and fire throwing skeletons, and topped it all off by having a tennis match with a zombie dragon.

With all that said and done there was really only one course of action I could take after all of this. A course of action I was honestly surprised I hadn't done before now…

"I need an effing drink."


	2. Meeting the Pervert and the Dragon

**Prologue Arc**

**Meeting the Pervert and the Dragon**

After going about grabbing a bottle of Booker's from the basement bar (also how awesome is it that I can actually say that!), I went about looking for something to eat along with it…only to discover that food wasn't something I was originally provided.

I honestly don't have a clue how I missed that during my original tour of the place.

I mean sure as [The Gamer] I didn't have to eat or anything. That still didn't change the fact that I enjoyed doing so. Especially considering I would _literally_ kill myself all over again if I couldn't cook at least as a hobby. You know, instead of my job like I used too. Plus if anyone was to ever come over (and as soon as the supernatural in town discovered me I see this happening quite often) they would probably get suspicious if I didn't have any food in the house since my public file probably indicated that I was a chef. Though with all that said, there was one kinda big problem at the moment…

"Where even is the nearest store?" I muttered in irritation while scratching my head with one hand while the other was occupied with the, still unopened, bottle of bourbon.

"Knock Knock Knock"

Blinking in surprise, I turned to the front door with raised brows as I could only wonder who could possibly be knocking. The devils in town couldn't have discovered me that quickly…could they?

Placing the bourbon down for later, I opened up the front door to be met with someone I did not figure I would meet this quickly.

'Well this is unexpected,' I thought dryly as one, Issei Hyoudou, stared back at me from where he was scratching the back of his neck in a nervous fashion on my front porch. The future Red Dragon Emperor looked exactly like his manga/anime counterpart from the wild mess that was his brown hair to the same, matching, brown coloring in his eyes. Today he seemed to have forgone wearing the Kuoh Academy Uniform like he usually would, and he instead donned a black jacket with gold highlights, a red undershirt like he would the usual uniform, and a simple pair of blue jeans to finish the look.

'{Observe}'

**[Name: Issei Hyoudou] **_  
_**[Race: Human][Gender: Male] [Age: 16]  
[Titles:] [Shameless Pervert] [Future Red Dragon Emperor] **_  
_**[Sacred Gear: Boosted Gear (Inactive)]  
[Level: 3]**

**[HP: 550/ 550] [HPR: 11.0]  
[MP: 2.5/ 2.5] [MPR: 1.5]  
[SP: 550/ 550] [SPR: 11.0]**

**[STR: 2] [AGI: 5] [VIT: 22] ****[END: 22] ****[INT: 0.1] ****[WIS: 3] ****[LUCK: 1]**

'The hell is up with those VIT and END stats?!'

"Uh hi there, I'm Hyoudou Issei, one of your new neighbors." Issei said pleasantly (though for some reason his grin was a little twitchy) while pointing to his own house which was literally right next door. Something I only barely managed to catch as I was still boggling over his VIT and END stats, and the sheer _grain of sand_ that made up his INT stat. For Gabrial's sake it was an effing decimal!

"Neighbor huh," I muttered aloud while turning to where he was pointing to see his canon home before the renovations of Volume 4, I think, took place.

"Yep," Issei chirped (Okay seriously, why is his smile twitching?) before looking at me as if waiting for something-oh! Right he probably wanted my name.

Shaking my head to clear it of theories about his stats (for the time being), I gave him a small smile (Okay seriously _what the hell_; he just full body twitched?!) and replied. "Well my name is Fall Warren, and before you ask, yes I am American," I said bluntly but not unpleasantly while putting out a hand to shake.

Issei stared at it for a couple seconds, seemingly having an internal war over whether to take the hand or not-anddd I think I know what this is about now.

"Yeah I had figured you were a foreigner from your looks," Issei chuckled while finally seeming to get a hold of himself enough to meet my handshake…and call me a _pretty boy_ under his breath.

Something I responded to by _possibly_ trying to crush his hand.

I also took that moment to mentally question what made me look different because, honestly, Issei looked American to me. Maybe it's just the art style of the world messing with me because even in the manga and anime the characters didn't look necessarily Japanese or English or anything of the like.

"F-Fall-san m-my h-hand," Issei stammered out while gritting his teeth and trying to claw his hand out of my grip-oh! Whoops!

"Apologizes Hyoudou-san, I'm afraid I don't know my own strength sometimes," I said dryly but still dropped his hand all the same. My point hopefully made clear over the fact I heard him.

"A-ah r-right," Issei winced in turn as he blew on him comically, red glowing hand-wait, what?

Rubbing my eyes quickly, I found myself still looking at the comical scene of Issei now waving his pulsing, red hand around in order to try and reduce the swelling.

'Anime logic is gonna be a thing…great.'

Thankfully Issei seemed to get over it quickly enough (while now shooting me a stick eye of course), and huffed in what I think might have actually been respect.

That aside, now that I've got him here. Perhaps he can help me with my current problem?

"Well Hyoudou-san, I am using the correct honoric, right?" At his reluctant nod I continued on, "Well since you probably know the area and all, you think you could direct me towards the nearest grocery store? I just finished unpacking, and I only now realized that I didn't have any food in the house."

"Oh," Issei said looking a little surprised over the question before grabbing his chin in thought. "Well there is one about a block that way," he said waving down a left hand street," but if you don't mind a longer walk there's a shopping center about three blocks that way that would probably provide a better variety," he said pointing right this time.

Looking up in thought for a moment, I decided it would probably be better to just get all the food related things out of the way instead of just a few. Plus I would have a pack mule in the form of the pervert in front of me, so win, win. Upon voicing this aloud, minus the pack mule thing, Issei just nodded in understanding.

"Sure thing, come on I'll show you the way, it's not like I have anything going on right now," he said with a carefree shrug as he walked down my porch.

We made our way down the road for about a solid thirty feet. I repeat. Thirty. **Feet**. That's how long it took Issei's, very limited, self-control seemed to utterly _snap_.

"So what's your favorite thing about a woman?! It's the oppai right because mine are because how could you not love oppai, and-"

For a solid three minutes this is how the conversation went. Issei just ranting on and on about tits and his love of the female figure while I just stared at him with the most deadpan face I have ever made in my life.

'I'm honestly surprised he held on for that long,' I thought with an internal sigh.

"Ok, for one, **shut up**," {Intimidation} activated for a moment, and _damn_ was it effective if the fact that I could hear his mouth click shut was any indication. "Secondly, I met you not five minutes ago. Do you really think the first thing I want to talk about is tits?"

Issei had the gall to nod his head at my question before seeming to actually consider my first point which resulted in him sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. Weird, I don't remember him having that tick.

"Hehe sorry about that, I just…really like oppai." Obviously Issei, obviously.

"Well what brought you to Kuoh Town then?" Issei asked as a means to steer the topic somewhere else. Something I greatly appreciated.

"Oh well, some…complications came up back home, so my aunt thought it would be a good idea for me to move here." I said trying to not look all that sheepish myself because I honestly hadn't thought my past would be brought up this quickly.

"Huh, alright, but why would your aunt decide you should move here instead of your parents?" Dammit since when is Issei this observant?! His INT is literally a decimal point! Actually…I guess his observational skills would be WIS based now that I think about it.

"My parents died when I was two," I said nonchalantly and continued even after Issei stumbled beside me. "I've lived with my aunt ever since. I actually used to have an uncle who lived here, and he even owned the house I'm living in now which is one of the biggest reasons why it was decided I'd move here."

"Oh…sorry about bringing up bad memories," Issei apologized hesitantly as if not sure how exactly to word it. Though most people don't really know how, so I can't exactly hold it against him.

"Like I said, I lost them when I was two, so I don't really remember them," I said with a shrug since it was true.

A bit of silence settled between us as Issei retook his guide position before he finally broke the silence.

"What's your uncle's name? You know the one who used to live here; I might have known him considering he used to live next door."

Blinking at the question, I mentally chuckled over the fact that I already had to bring up the sole connection I was given to this world. Externally I stuffed my hands into my hoodie pocket (I also paled slightly upon realizing my revolver was still in said pocket), and I looked up as if in memory.

"Yaegaki Masaomi was his name. He used to work for the local church I do believe…oh and if you didn't catch my use of the past tense it's because he died a couple years back too." I said with the same tone as before which caused Issei to stumble once again. The uncomfortable air my words created coming right on back.

While Issei probably took this opportunity to wonder things like "why do I keep saying things that bring up bad things", I went about wondering why exactly I was directly related to someone from this universe.

Masaomi Yaegaki, for all those wondering, was actually an exorcist who used to work in Kuoh alongside Irina's dad, Touji Shidou. The problem arose; however, that Masaomi soon fell in love with the local Devil in charge of the area, one Cleria Belial. This led to the both of them being killed by their respective factions as the factions were still in a state of cold war.

Though if I had to bet, both faction leaders probably didn't know about their respective higher ups killing them off considering how much they were rooting for an actual end to the cease fire in exchange for legit peace.

Now the kicker to all of this; however, is the fact that I did in fact have an uncle in my past life whose name was Masaomi Fall who had married into the family and took our last name. The files I was given about my current life even went as far as to show pictures of the man which led to me realizing that the two men looked _exactly_ the same. Hell, when I read the files about him, they even had the same personality types and annoying habits.

So perhaps it was just fate that led to me being related to someone from this universe, maybe they were just the mirror images of each other. My bet however was the [Gamer System] decided to have some fun and just made me related to at least one person in order to fuck with me down the line.

"You know that name actually sounds familiar," Issei said, breaking me from my thoughts in the process.

"Really?" Because, seriously, you would have still been pretty young when he was in town.

"Yeah but like I said it's only familiar. Maybe I heard his name in passing or something?" Issei finished in a mutter while clearly trying to remember because not being able to remember how he knew the name honestly seemed to be bothering him.

We were both soon broken from our thoughts; however, upon Issei announcing we had arrived. The shopping center itself was pretty ordinary all things considered as it had the standard stores for food, clothing, and other varied merchandise.

The overall shopping took about an hour to complete; however, as Issei kept commenting about some of the girls we passed. I even had to physically drag him away a few times before they caught him ogling them. I did not need my pack mule getting beaten to a pulp at the moment. And while I could have simply used my personal dimensional pocket thingy, i.e. my [Inventory]; I couldn't exactly use it with Issei around. He may be an idiot at times, but even he would notice the loss of groceries.

"Hey, it's the Junk Shop!" Issei exclaimed as we were making our way out of the mall. Internally I wanted to berate him for calling any shop a "junk shop" as it was pretty rude…until I saw that the shop's name was in fact _The Junk Shop_. Not the best advertisement there people.

So outwardly I just asked, "Junk Shop?"

"Yeah, that place has tons of stuff! Old books, movies, game systems, and bunches of other random bits and pieces." He said with a smile that was actually pretty lust free. As in he wasn't imagining the place having old porn books or movies.

Just to make sure though, "as in smut and porn?" I asked deadpan.

Issei proceeded to sputter for a second before frantically shaking his head negative, "No! The place just has some really cool stuff you can't usually find nowadays. Heck, I bought an old NES from there…I'm a bit of a Dragon Quest fan." He finished sheepishly.

Raising my hands to the sky, shopping bags and all (hey I got another STR point) I uttered in relief, "thank fuck I have someone I can talk gaming with," while also having to bite back the laugh of him being a Dragon Quest fan considering his title of Red Dragon Emperor.

My reaction spurred the both of us into "gamer mode" while agreeing to stop by The Junk Shop later on in the week in order to look around.

Getting back to my place also led to me inviting Issei in, and upon viewing the "Wall of Gamer", as I had dubbed it, Issei literally went about kneeling before the wall and praising it in all its awesomeness. Upon seeing the basement area in all its man cave greatness Issei practically begged me to come over again in order to hang out which I agreed too easily enough. I mean sure he was a perverted idiot, but that didn't change the fact he was at least a _nice_ perverted idiot. Unfortunately Issei had made plans with the other halves of the Perverted Trio later that day, so we decided to wait for the time being to hang out.

After he left, I finally went about making myself something to eat, a salad and baked chicken, in order to drink my bourbon. I only really did this because it helps me to have something in my system before I drink alcohol.

Half a bottle of Bookers later while I had also been looking through a bit more of my new personal information, I finally remembered that I had a new randomizer to open.

**[You have selected -Uncommon Item Randomizer-. Would you like to open it?]  
{YES/NO}**

After a quick click of {YES}, I was surprised to find that instead of a roulette wheel like the Sacred Gear Randomizer, I was instead given a slot machine. A quick pull of the lever soon led to the slots whirling down until eventually the first slot displayed what looked to be a book, the second displayed the word DARK, and the final slot showed what looked to be the romanumarl for II.

**[Congratulations you have received the Uncommon Skill Book, Shadow Spike!]**

**Shadow Spike {Uncommon} {Item: Skill Book}:  
**_An uncommon skill of the DARK element gained from a Skill Book. This skill allows one to manipulate shadows in just the right way to make a solid mass of shadow appear in the form of a spike.  
Grants skill: {Shadow Spike}  
Requirements: {DARK Manipulation Lv5}, 10 INT, and 10 WIS_

**[As we are sure you have figured out, skill books are in fact a thing, though you should know that you can only learn skills from Skill Books as long as you have the Affinity for it.]**

"And how exactly do I go about doing that?" I asked aloud.

**Ding! Quest Alert!  
[Tutorial III (Elements Chosen and Phantasms Gained)!]  
**_A new tutorial is now available to help you understand Affinities, Phantasms, and the Crafting System!_  
{Objective: Complete Tutorial III}  
Rewards: 750 Exp, 10,000 Yen, Uncommon Item Randomizer]  
**Accept / **Decline

A quick press of {Accept} led to a new text box appearing.

**[The Garage Area of "Your House" has now been unlocked. The Workshop Area of "Your House" has now been unlocked and is located within the garage.]**

"I'm guessing that the tutorial will start there?"

Making my way towards the garage, I quickly realized why exactly I hadn't yet ventured into it before. Apparently the door leading to the garage simply hadn't been there before (trust me, I would have noticed it otherwise), and now that it was unlocked I found it located near the front door. Going inside I was met with a rather basic garage all things considered (though clear of any vehicles unfortunately) with the only things of note being the worktable/chemistry area that took up the entire farthest corner from the garage door.

"So how exactly do I go about doing this?" I asked aloud before another text box appeared.

**[Alrighty then! To begin with let's have you choose your first Elemental Affinity!]**  
**[NOTE! It would be in your best interest to choose one that will benefit you now than in the future as you can only gain new Affinities via reaching a certain level of mastery over your first chosen affinity, or by finding a Phantasm that grants the affinity when it is in use.]**

**[Elemental Affinities (Pick 1)]**  
**DARK**  
**LIGHT**  
**EARTH**  
**FIRE**  
**WATER**  
**WIND**

Wincing slightly at the "noted section", I couldn't help but feel it was giving me that warning because my original plan had in fact been to try and get a LIGHT Affinity. Mainly since I was gonna not only be dealing with devils rather soon, but stray devils were also a rather big issue even right now.

Heaving a sigh, I went with the obvious choice of DARK as not only did I already have a Skill Book available for that type, but I also had a still "Unawakened" Phantasm that was DARK as well. Something I'm hoping to fix in a few minutes if this tutorial's title is anything to go by.

**[Congratulations you have gained the Elemental Affinity, DARK!]**

**[A new skill has been discovered thanks to a specific action!]**  
**DARK Manipulation, Passive {Lv: 1} {Exp: 0.0%}:  
**_You have gained power over darkness itself. With this skill you can now grow in your powers of darkness, and if you become good enough perhaps you can even gain new titles and skills!_  
_Grants ability to use, control, and create DARK based skills  
Skill Level is additional DMG and DEF for and against all DARK skills_

**[Ok now that you've chosen your Elemental Affinity let's go about having you learn that new Skill Book!]**

Following the instructions, I went into my Inventory and pulled out the Skill Book. The Skill Book itself was completely black in color with the words Shadow Spike sprawled across the middle in a glossy black that made it stand out from the rest of the book.

**[Would you like to learn the skill –Shadow Spike-? (YES/NO)]**

_{Requirements: {DARK Manipulation L̷̢̗̖̟͕̻̎̍͗͒́v̵͔̣̮̠̠̠͂͠: 5̵͔̠̥̳̗͍̙͆̋̓̎̂̓̈́͂͛͝͠ }(Re-calibrating for first DARK skill learned...) Lv 1}, 10 INT, and 10 WIS_

Well that's pretty nice at least.

Clicking {YES} the Skill Book exploded into a mass of black pixels that proceeded to flow into my body. Once all the pixels were absorbed the process, knowledge, and power behind my newest skill were pretty much copy/pasted into my brain.

**[A new skill has been discovered thanks to a specific action!]**  
**Shadow Spike, Active {Lv: 1} {Exp: 0.0%}:  
**_By sharpening and hardening the shadows on the ground you can now project shadows into a lethal form_.  
_Cost: 5 MP  
Deals 10 (DARK) Magical DMG + Base INT_

"Eh that's about what I figured for an Uncommon Tier Skill," I thought aloud while setting off a {Shadow Spike} in the open space beside me. The {Shadow Spike} appeared to be well over three feet tall, and I could even make it larger by pumping more mana into the attack. The little experimenting I did actually gained Exp for both {Shadow Spike} and {DARK Manipulation}.

**[Great! Now that you've got yourself a new Affinity and skill let's see about working with your Sacred Gear. Firstly go into the {Phantasm} Sub Tab.]**

Following the instructions given, I found myself looking in the {Phantasm} Sub Tab where the only Phantasm I had available was the Dragon Phantasm.

**[Now click on your Dragon Phantasm, and it should give you the opinion to "Wake Up" the "lost soul" as it were. When this happens, focus** **on the Phantasm, your Sacred Gear will know what to do from there.]**

Upon seeing the "Wake Up" screen, I clicked the {YES} button given, and I was only slightly surprised when the black Phantasm appeared from my chest and floated in front of me. Focusing on the "lost soul" before me I tried simply looking at it and seeing if I looked at it hard enough it would work. When nothing happened, I started to get a little annoyed before I really tried to _focus_ on the Phantasm in its _entirety_.

I focused on its black coloring.

I focused on the feel it gave off, the heat, not warmth that's too…nice. The heat it gave off was too _angry_. It was too _**vicious**_ to be considered nice or warm.

I focused on the way the small flame flickered back and forth, back and forth, back and forth…until shapes started to form and the color began to shift. A pair of dark grey, _metal_ _**talons**_, sharp enough to tear and shred anything it touched. Flat plates and sharp edges of metallic nature compounded its base. What almost appear to be tail feathers sharp as blades yet flexible enough to be considered organic. A pair of spiked wings sharp as any sword. And finally, a head that bore more similar to a bird of prey than a true dragon, bearing a razor sharp beak, a plumage of blades, and glowing red eyes that seemed to wish carnage upon any it would call an enemy.

(So focused was I in all of this, I didn't even notice the heat that started emitting from my body, nor the golden flames that started licking at my form, or even the golden flames that formed a **third eye** above my brow.)

I saw all of this and realized something. I _knew_ what this Phantasm was.

_I knew its name._

"_**Awaken**_," I intoned, the words echoing in my own ears and the space around me, "_**Horus, The Black Flame Dragon!"**_

And out of the flames (that I had not even realized until that moment had grown even larger than I was tall) a metallic talon formed, soon followed by a second. Then the head of a bird of prey bearing the same glowing, red eyes as before burst forth with a cry of _vicious pride_. The same pair of wings and rear soon followed before the dragon appeared whole; the same black flames that it originally formed from streamed off its body yet now bore streams of dark silver from its frame and revealed that, while whole, it was still an apparition and _not_ _solid_.

That still didn't stop it from locking its bloody red gaze with my own and proceeding to stare me down with _ferocity_ and _power_ in its gaze. A gaze I would _not_ back down from as I knew, I _**somehow knew **_that if I looked away for even a moment I would **fail**.

I don't know how long the stare down continued, and I only vaguely noticed the build up of Horus's flames as the temperature in the room soon reached that of a furnace. Finally something in the dragon's gaze (because even if it bore more resemblance to a bird its presence still held the same (if not greater) weight as the only other dragon I had met firsthand) seemed to spark to life like living coals. Horas then gave one final cry (the cry of a predator acknowledging an equal I would later realize) before it lunged forward into a burst of black and dark silver flames.

It was only then did I even realize that I was practically engulfed in _golden flames_ the same intensity as its own. My own flames then flared forward to accept the lost (yet proud, and _predatory_, and oh so _**vicious**_) soul as a part of myself, in turn converting the black and silver flames that sped towards me until only golden flames remained.

Once the golden flames finally receded, I dropped to the ground panting and gulping in as large breaths of cooling air I could as the temperature in the room finally began to drop to comfortable levels, and it didn't make it feel like every breath I took in was like breathing in _actual fire_.

"Holy mother of all that is righteous that was **terrifying**," I gasped out practically in shock-

Before a shifting of something metallic echoed from the back of my mind, the weight of something (_that was not there before_) moving in the newly discovered void in the back of my head, heavy for a scant few moments before it seemed to recede until all that was there was the slight presence of something…_vicious_.

"Oh…well that's a thing," I uttered in shock as {Gamer's Mind} allowed me to process the fact that I now had a _mother fucking_ _**dragon**_ in my _**head**_.

**[Danggg son that was a lot more intense than we'd thought it would be. Still you've now got your first Phantasm and a relatively powerful one at that! We'd recommend you read through your new Phantasm's skills and maybe some info about your Sacred Gear.]**

**[Also since you kinda went into that without advanced warning here's +2 VIT. You know just to be nice.]**

"Y-Yeah I'll get right on that," I stuttered out still in shock. I didn't actually move to do so for about a solid five minutes; however, as I tried to get acclimated to the new presence in my head.

It was strange. The actual weight of the new addition wasn't all that big really; if nothing else it was just heavy enough for me to acknowledge it was even there. Rather it was the _feelings_ coming off its presence that gave me pause.

That _viciousness_ that wished to burn its enemies to ashes.

That unnatural _ferocity_ that popped up at seemingly random.

That stubborn _pride_ that seemed unjustified yet warranted at the same time.

The _predatory glee_ that bleed off its form like the flames it breathed and _lived from_.

These were the feelings of a _dragon_. Actually no. Not a dragon…an _**Evil Dragon**_.

"Well…that's rather concerning," I muttered after coming to _that_ particular realization. Hopefully having Horas wouldn't cause any problems down the line.

My worries being pushed away for now, I went about looking over Horus's info in order to discover what exactly he could bring to the table.

**Horus, The Black Flame Dragon, Tier III {Lv: 1} {Exp: 0.0%}:  
**_A Tier III Phantasm of the DARK element. This Evil Dragon Phantasm is an existence originally created from humanity's fear of fire, as such this force of nature can take in all the negatives of the world and burn them to nothingness. It is a spirit specializing in both close and mid-range techniques thanks to its use of Black Fire as well as the sheer endurance and power all dragons hold._**  
[STR: 10] [AGI: 5] [VIT: 20] [END: 20] [INT: 10] [WIS: 5]** **[LUCK: 1]  
Unused Skill Points: 0  
Skills:  
Black Dragon Scales, Passive {Lv: 1}:  
**_Like all dragons, the scales of this Black Dragon give complete resistance to his own flames, lesser resistance to other flames, and a general defense to whatever your victim-ahem opponent may throw at you.  
Gives complete Resistance to Black Fire.  
Grants 20% Resistance to FIRE Affinity skills (and complete immunity from regular fire)  
Grants 10% Resistance to all Physical and Magical DMG._

**Black Fire Manipulation, Passive/Active {Lv: 1}:  
**_By empowering dragon fire with negative emotions, their natural color has changed to black while their power has increased as well as the heat they produce.  
Cost: 25 MP a second  
Deals Base STR + Base INT + 25 (DARK & FIRE) Magical DMG a second  
Unique Skills: {Emotive Boost I}_

**Dragon Breath, Active {Lv: 1}:  
**_Breathing Dragon Fire is a basic skill all dragons have. Duh._  
_Cost: 5 MP a second  
Deals Base STR + 10 (FIRE) Magical DMG a second_

…dear Gabriel, those stat boosts.

It also needs to be said; {Black Fire Manipulation} is going to be _devastating_. Especially since by the sheer rules of this _shonan anime world_; emotion empowering attacks are a staple of the genre. Secondly, I have to wonder if I will be the one breathing fire or will Horus appear and do such; I'm probably gonna need to check that. Thirdly, what the literal fudge is up with that Passive Skill?! Finally, I suppose it really was for the best that I chose DARK as my Affinity if **this** is what I'm gonna be working with.

(The prideful preening like sound that resonated from the back of my head was what I hoped to be Horus's pleasure that I thought of his skills so highly. Also don't ask _how_ I knew he was a male, I just freaking _knew_ alright!)

Once done looking over Horus's stats and skills, I went about pulling up the information given to me about Trinity Tuner.

**Sacred Gear: Trinity Tuner, Passive/Active {Lv: 1} {Exp: 0.0%}:  
**_Also known as __**The Plane of Boundless Souls**__, Trinity Tuner is a Sacred Gear with the potential to become Longinus Tier. It's main ability is to create an inner world that allows excess souls to reside in. It then can combine lost souls and spirits (otherwise known as Phantasms) to either the owner's own power or that of their weapons._**  
**_Active Phantasms (Max: 1): Horus, The Black Flame Dragon_

**[Phantasms awoken by Trinity Tuner are added to the user's Soul Plane (also known as a Reality Marble), a space within a person's soul where the "definition" of that person is defined and protected. Phantasms within the Soul Plane can then be linked to the Trinity Tuner thus giving the user access to a portion of the Phantasms original power. Only a certain number of Phantasms can be linked to both the user's Soul Plane and Trinity Tuner at the same time; however, thus making some Phantasms required to stay on standby within the Soul Plane until they are switched with a current Active Phantasm.]**

**[Trinity Tuner has the ability to grow stronger by collecting more Phantasms and putting them within the user's Soul Plane. Using Phantasms in combat also grants the same just to lesser extent.]**

**[Phantasms have the ability to grow stronger as well. They grow by fighting alongside their host which allows the connection between the two to grow stronger; thus allowing more of the Phantasm's original power to be made available to the user. Phantasms do have a MAX level; however, when reaching this MAX level a certain item or event will be needed to "evolve" that Phantasm into a new form. Said new form will grant powers that the Phantasm did not have during its first life OR granting them access to powers they gained later in life.]  
{Every Level up gives Phantasm +1 to all Stat Points and random additional boost.}  
{Every 5 Level ups gives Phantasm 1 Unused Skill Point to use on any chosen skill.}  
{Every 10 Level ups a Phantasm has a chance of unlocking a new skill. The chance to unlock a new skill is made higher by having a better bond with your Phantasms.}  
{It should be noted that new skills can be gained even after level up as long as it does not exceed the Phantasm's level divided by 10.}**

"Damn that was an info dump." My mind was practically reeling from the information I just gained. Don't get me wrong, the information I gleaned from that small reading was actually very useful, but damn if it wasn't a little much.

"Is that all for the tutorial?" I asked aloud while dismissing the screens I had been reading from.

**[Almost! As you probably saw before, instead of just creating another tutorial to give you easy EXP and cash, we're just gonna include your crafting lesson in here.]**

"Well that's a little rude," I muttered from, just like the system said, the loss of the easy EXP and cash.

**[Oh don't be a whiner. Anyways, we're gonna use some of the Magic Saturated Cloth you got in the last tutorial to make you some equipment! Firstly you need to go to your crafting station and take out the cloth you got.]**

Following the instructions, I pulled out some Magic Saturated Cloth I had available while walking toward the work table set up along a wall of the garage.

Soon enough a new text box popped up displaying the information about the cloth as well as crafting recipes for two new items.

**Basic Mage Hood {Common} {Item: Hat}:  
**_A basic item for anyone starting down the path of a Magic Specialist. _**  
**_Grants +5 Magical DEF and +1 WIS  
Requirements: {Crafting Lv1}, 3 Magic Saturated Cloth, 1,000 Yen_

**Basic Warrior Gloves {Common} {Item: Gloves}:  
**_A basic item for anyone starting down the path of a Physical Combat Specialist.  
Grants +5 Physical DMG and +1 STR  
Requirements: {Crafting Lv1}, 3 Magic Saturated Cloth, 1,000 Yen._

"Wait but I don't have {Craft-

**[A new skill has been discovered thanks to a specific action!]**  
**Crafting, Passive/Active {Lv: 1} {Exp: 0.0%}:  
**_Creating, repairing, and so much more, all you need is to craft some more!_  
_Allows access to Crafting System…obviously_

-ing}…I guess I could use a bit more STR without using up Stat Points," I said with a twitch in my brow because don't ask me how, but I just somehow knew that my [Gamer System] was actively trying to screw with me.

Besides it's not like I couldn't just come back and make the hood when I got more cloth. Though that does also make me wonder how I get more recipes.

Upon choosing to create the Basic Warrior Gloves, I kinda just went into auto-pilot as I began crafting the gloves. I mean seriously at one point I am 99% sure I started using a needle and thread, and I had never touched either in my life. After a solid five minutes of auto-crafting, I finally finished the Common equipment. The results weren't nearly as satisfying as getting my first Phantasm, but all the same I knew it would help. The gloves themselves were a deep purple in color. Enough so to look black. There was also a toggle button in my [Inventory] which allowed me to turn them into fingerless gloves which I must admit to liking much more.

**[Great job! As we're sure you know you can actually equip the gloves in your [Inventory] Tab along with any other equipment you get down the line. Another neat thing we thought we should point out is if you didn't catch it earlier, you can in fact upgrade and enhance equipment like your new gloves with materials, enchantments, and your Phantasms. Just be warned that there is a limit to how much one piece of equipment can be upgraded.]**

**[Another major thing to note is that you cannot start making new gear other than the two types available (gloves and hats) until you find/buy Skill Books allowing such.]**

**[Hint: See about going to the Junk Shop you discovered earlier today.]**

"Fair enough," I grumbled while going about properly equipping my new gloves.

**Quest Complete!  
[Tutorial III (Elements Chosen and Phantasms Gained)!]  
**_A new tutorial is now available to help you understand Affinities, Phantasms, and the crafting system!]_  
{Objective: Complete Tutorial III}  
Rewards: 750 Exp, 10,000 Yen, Uncommon Item Randomizer]

**[Level Up!]**

'Might as well see what's in the Randomizer,' I thought, wondering what exactly I would get.

**[You have selected Uncommon Item Randomizer. Would you like to open this? YES/NO]**

A click of yes and one pull of the lever later had the symbol for a medal, the letters LUCK, and the Roman Numeral, II, appeared on the slots.

**[Congratulations you have received the Uncommon Item, Lucky Charm!]**

**Lucky Charm {Uncommon} {Item: Accessory}:  
**_A charm enchanted by a sorcerer wishing for better luck, this item contains what can only be described as concentrated luck!  
Grants +20 Magical DEF and +10 LUCK_

"Not bad, not bad at all," I mused while looking over the charm. It had taken the shape of a traditional four leaf clover with the addition of a silver border around the edges. In the end, I decided to grab a decent looking leather cord from the worktable and strung it along my neck as a necklace.

With that all finished, and since no new quest was popping up at the moment, I suppose I have the opinion to do whatever I want. Though getting some more levels would probably be for the best. Plus I still need to test out my new Phantasm.

"{ID Create: Battle Zone}!"

Soon enough I found myself situated within the world of red moons and undead walkers once again. Before I could begin my search for enemies; however, a new pop up appeared.

**[Well look at you deciding to be smart with your time. We thought it would be a good idea to inform you that your IDs are a bit more unique than the traditional kind. That said, here is something to help you understand.]**

**[You have received the Undead Zone Map!]**  
**[The Menu Tab –[World Map]- is now available.]**

"Now that's interesting," I commented while focusing on the mini-map at the bottom corner of my vision. Not enough to distract me in battle, but just bright enough for me to see the area layout as well as red blips I could only imagine as myself and the surrounding mobs.

**[As you might have been able to figure out, you are currently in the Undead Zone. A place where only undead based enemies will spawn. Travel far enough to the West or East; however, and you'll end up in two entirely new Zones. If you were to travel South; however, you would end up in what is known as the Neutral Zone. Within the Neutral Zone is where you'll find locations such as the Market, Library, Forges, and many more.]**

**[In order to progress into the other areas of your ID; however, you will be required to complete one final test of your skills. To make absolutely certain that you understand how to use all the opinions available to you; this final tutorial will be given. Until you beat said tutorial all other Zones will be locked to you, including the Neutral Zone.]**

**[Until then…happy hunting!]**

**Ding! Quest Alert!  
[Tutorial IV (Conquer The Undead Zone)!]  
**_A final tutorial to test your progress and will to fight in this new world!_  
{Objective: Complete Tutorial IV, and defeat the Tier 1 Boss of the Undead Zone in order to progress through the Instant Dungeons.}  
Rewards: 5,000 Exp, 50,000 Yen, 1 Rare Item Randomizer, 1 Random Tier II (DARK) Phantasm, and access to the rest of the Zones!  
{Bonus Objectives X 5: +500 Exp per Bonus Objective completed}  
**Accept / **Decline

_**[Until this Quest is completed you cannot progress past Lv: 15, you cannot gain any new Phantasms, any new skills, or any EXP once this level is reached, and only until after this Quest is completed will you gain access to such!]  
[It is a final test for your progress using what you've learned after all!]**_

"…I am very..._conflicted_."

Said conflicting emotions would have been pretty obvious to anyone who would have happened upon me at that moment.

For one, I was actually quite interested in the rewards this particular quest would give me. The randomizer and the temptation of a new Phantasm honestly made the trial ahead quite interesting. Plus a part of me did understand why such a tutorial would need to exist, especially in such a dangerous world as this one.

On the other hand…I'm pretty sure my twitchy brow and extremely strained smile (that showed far too many teeth) would clue anyone into the fact that I was _fucking pissed_.

The shit ton of bloodlust and rage practically radiating from me in waves, the fact that Horus appeared in a flash of golden flames from my sheer drive to try and release my inner wrath upon anything at the moment, and the fact that my cutlass was practically a flamethrower from the amount of {Black Fire} I was channeling into it (Emotive Boost was a lot more sensitive than I thought apparently), probably just added to the picture.

"Horus," I called with a surprising amount of neutrality in my tone.

The neutrality Horas knew was obviously _fake as fuck_ if his spread wings, bloodthirsty look, and war cry were any indication. The fact that Horus got an instant **5 levels** from my brief lapse in rage was considered a side note at best.

Staring down the street at a small horde of zombies that shambled towards me (_us_), I raised the flaming sword in my hands and uttered the words that sealed the fate of every unliving thing in this wretched Zone.

"Let's go on a _**rampage**_."


	3. Meeting the Miko and the Samurai

**Prologue Arc**

**Meeting the Miko and the Samurai**

"I think I've found my new stress reliever," I sighed content as I walked downstairs for breakfast. Sure I didn't need to eat, but that didn't mean I didn't like it either.

My little "adventure" through the Undead Zone had been good all things considered, even if it took the entire night which made me thankful for my not needing to sleep. I had ended up progressing almost halfway toward my objective while pretty much shredding my way through the Zone. During said shredding, I had come across some new enemies in the form of Three Legged Zombies (exactly how it sounds), Armored Zombies (again, just like it sounds), Hard Armors (which were literally headless suits of armor), and Zombie Warriors (which was really **in**accurate considering they were _skeleton_ warriors with swords and shields). All of this had led to me getting some new items like: Reinforced Bones, Skull Servant Skulls, Scrap Metal, some sword and shields from the Zombie Warriors, and a _lot_ more Magic Saturated Cloth.

Besides dozens of just about every drop I could currently get, I also got a decent amount of Yen, levels in all my skills, at least 5 more levels in Horus (though no new skills unfortunately), enough Exp to get me to Lv10, and a good number of stat points thanks to either using my STR in a situation that didn't require it or a number of different scenarios. At the end my overall stats were looking something like this:

**[Name: Warren Fall]  
****[Race: Human[Gender: Male] [Age: 16]  
****[Titles] [The Gamer] [Novice Zombie Slayer] [XXX]  
****[Sacred Gear: Trinity Tuner {Lv: 3} {Exp 6.8%}]  
****[Level: 10] [Next Level: 32.7%]  
****  
[HP: 325/ 550] [HPR: 6.5 a Minute]  
****[MP: 720/ 720] [MPR: 8.0 a Minute]  
****[SP: 325/ 325] [SPR: 6.5 a Minute]**

**[STR: 14]  
****[AGI: 15]  
****[VIT: 13]  
****[END: 13]  
****[INT: 16]  
****[WIS: 16]  
****[LUCK: 8]  
****[Unused Stat Points: 73]  
**** Title:  
****[The Gamer: **_Grants Passive Skills: {Gamer Body} and {Gamer Mind}  
_**[Novice Zombie Slayer: **_10% DMG to all Undead Enemies  
_** Passive Boosts:  
**({Magic Core} 320 MP)

Oh and these are just my _basic_ stats. No, the real game changer last night was my _boosted_ stats gained from equipping Horus with Trinity Tuner.

Let it be known that Phantasms are **_OP as fuck_**.

Horus alone was granting me a higher level of power than I had any right to have at my current level, and that's not even getting into the utter _thrill_ having his presence in my mind brought as I tore through the undead. His thirst for all things battle and carnage had been a powerful adrenaline rush during fighting, and it had helped me get out some rather nasty spots quite a number of times. Thankfully even with his influence I didn't quite lose my sense of mind enough to put myself in severe danger, but I was now truly starting to understand the power Phantasms could give me in battle.

Especially once I used the two Unused Skill Points I gained by getting Horus to Lv10 in order to level up {Black Fire Manipulation} to Lv3. This achievement shooting the base DARK and FIRE damage up to _75__ damage _**_without_** _stats included_ and dropping the initial 25 MP cost a second to a decent 15 MP a second. It also gave me much more overall control of the {Black Fire} I used and instead of simply using it to shoot fireballs or doing a decent interpretation of a flamethrower like most would assume for a fire based skill; it allowed me to actually coat both my different skills and even weapons in the powerful flames. (When I initially used it last night it turns out I was really just me spamming the fire down through my hand, and it just so happened to be in the direction that the blade was pointing.)

Let it be said that spearing the undead with {Black Fire} coated {Shadow Spikes} was a very cathartic experience.

That all aside, I should probably go about actually cooking something in order to start my day. Of course actually cooking a somewhat complex meal, aka homemade pancakes and bacon, led to me getting a new skill.

**[A new skill has been discovered thanks to a specific action!]  
****Cooking, Passive/Active {Lv: 90} {Exp: 1.6%}:  
**_What's on the menu today Shifu-san?  
__Grants 90% proficiency when cooking which helps get the best out of each meal._

**[You were an ****_amazing_** **chef in your last life, so we figured there would be no harm to have it transition over.]**

Thank you, thank you, **_thank you_** [Gamer System]! I take back every bad thought I've ever had about you because if I actually had to start over with my cooking skills; I might have honestly cut off my own hands.

My cooking skills are _that_ important to me.

With my morning routine pretty much done, I figured I should go about seeing what new gear I could make with the new items I had attained.

Looking in my Workshop led to me discovering a few new items I could make, though quite a few of them required a higher {Crafting} level…

Guess it's time to grind.

About thirty minutes later, I had more Basic Mage Hoods and Basic Warrior Gloves than I had any need for as well as some Bone Meal which was a basic Crafting Material that I got from grinding up some Reinforced Bones. Thankfully I could also rend down the hoods and gloves into their original materials which also leveled up {Crafting}. This eventually brought {Crafting} to Lv7 which was the minimum for what I needed in order to get some new, semi-decent gear.

In the end I decided to make a Skelly Head Hood and a pair of Knuckle Bone Gloves.

**Skelly Head Hood {Common} {Item: Hat}:  
**_A hood crafted with protection in mind. By using the bones of the undead, you've made yourself a piece of clothing with the defense of a hard hat.  
__Grants 15 Physical DEF and 2 END_

**Knuckle Bone Gloves {Common} {Item: Gloves}:  
**_A pair of gloves meant for combat, these gloves have been empowered with a force to match that of an unrelenting, undead horde.  
__Grants 10 Physical DMG and 3 STR_

All together the two items cost me a bit of Yen as well as a good chunk of my current resources, but in the end it was well worth it.

Especially once I equipped the new items and found that I could toggle the equipment into "natural mode" to have it simply add designs to my clothing or simply disappear altogether. My new sleeveless green hoodie (Yeah pretty much all my clothes got trashed after last night.) now sported a cartoonish like skull along the hood portion, and my gloves were now designed to resemble boney hands with a metal plate across the backs of each.

"Not that bad really," I muttered looking at the new additions in a full length mirror that I was pretty sure hadn't been in the garage a minute ago. Not even gonna question that. "Not exactly my usual style, but what can ya do?"

That done with, after taking time to think about what to do today, I came to realize that it'd probably be a good idea to take a look around Kuoh Town. I didn't necessarily know the town all that well after all, and if yesterday's food run was any indication, I needed to figure out the lay of the land.

**[Good idea! In order to help with that here's something to help you along!]**

**[The item –Kuoh Map- has been added to the [World Map] Tab!]**

"Yeah that'll help," I said with a chuckle as I went about looking for the new map. Just like when I unlocked the Undead Zone Map a mini-map appeared in my lower vision. I also discovered that I could simply pull up a map in the [World Map] Tab, or I could even pull it up on my phone as an app.

Yeah that had also been a bit of a surprise as apparently my new phone (conveniently set up on my bedside table) was linked up with my Gamer powers, and I could even get notifications on it as a means to hide my powers at times if the need arose.

Figuring there wasn't really anything else I would need; I exited the house and began walking in the opposite direction of the mall. Doing so led me to discovering more suburban areas as well as the occasional grocery store, café, book store, and coffee shop. (They had Starbucks. Life was good.) It was also the area that housed the park and fountain where Issei was first killed.

From there I ventured in the direction of Kuoh Academy in order to not only learn the route, but also see the school that would be the center of so many important events to come. Of course I couldn't actually go about exploring the grounds (yet), so I only got a quick look at it through the front gates before I began walking toward the East side of town. The East side seems to hold more traditional styled estates and houses with the occasional walled property.

While exploring the area, I actually came across a rather long stone staircase that led into a wooded area on a rather large hill. After reading the sign set up at the bottom of said stairs, I learned that the top of the hill housed a shrine. Having never visited a traditional Japanese shrine before I figured, "Why not?", and started ascending the stairs. I couldn't help but feel I was forgetting something; however, the closer I got to the top. The feeling only grew stronger as even Horus began to slowly shift in the back of my mind, clearly sensing something amiss as well.

'That reminds me, note to self: come up with a sensing skill,' I thought idly as I really only had Horus around to help me in that regard and my mini-map which really wasn't all that helpful except for learning if someone was there or not.

Reaching the top, I found myself looking at what I only could imagine was a traditional Japanese shrine. It was a fairly large place housing a number of buildings here and there. It even had a large Torii gate setup at the top of the staircase-

'Okay that didn't feel normal,' I thought as my entire form suddenly tensed as an outside force seemed to "scan" my entire being. The "scanning" feeling made what little I could feel of my own magic twitch and snap inside. Horus made his own feelings of the force quite clear as he began actually _squawking_ in the back of my mind and his presence rose to harshly push against the link between us.

The feeling continued to persist for a few more _minutes_ before whatever it was seemed satisfied with me and disappeared. The fact that Horus also seemed to deem whatever it was no longer an issue, I relaxed and took another cautious look around the grounds before hesitantly making my way along the path.

A flash of red and white to the side had me stopping; however, and I realized why exactly I was feeling like I was forgetting something.

It also didn't stop me from voicing aloud the first thought I had.

"Wow is your smile fake."

That seemed to catch Akeno Himejima (also known as the Priestess of Thunder, the Queen of Rias Gremory's Peerage, someone who could _most definitely _kick my ass with barely a thought, and who was dressed currently in her miko attire) off guard and forced her smile to become even more strained and fake than before.

**[Name:** **Akeno Himejima]  
****[Race: Reincarnated Devil (Queen)/Fallen Angel Hybrid[Gender: Female] [Age: 17]  
****[Titles] [SM Priestess of Thunder] [Devil Queen]  
****[Bloodline Ability: Holy Lightning (Self-Locked)]  
****[Level: 43]**

**[HP: 1,875/ 1,875] [HPR: 25.5]  
****[MP: 4,000 / 4,000] [MPR: 31.5]  
****[SP: 1,500/ 1,500] ****[SPR: 20.5]**

**[STR: 30] ****[AGI: 35] ****[VIT: 55] ****[END: 40] ****[INT: 80] ****[WIS: 45] ****[LUCK: 25]**

'For fucks sake I feel like a kitten standing beside a twenty foot lion,' I thought with a grimace. 'And for Gabriel's sake Horus we are **not** fighting the walking, talking thunderstorm,' I snarled into my mind to make Horus _shut the fuck up_ with his damn cries of glee and pulses of battle-lust. Oh, the joys of having an Evil Dragon living in the back of my head/soul.

"Ara ara, that was a bit rude," Akeno chided me that fake as fuck smile (that I vaguely realized was probably her "Onee-sama" smile) still plastered across her face.

'When you stop wearing such a fake smile then perhaps I'll greet you with the same level of courtesy!' Was what I wanted to snap at her because such a fake thing across such a pretty (read effing gorgeous because damn the anime did not do her justice) face was just insulting to both herself and I.

So instead I adopted the most apologetic smile I could and said, "Sorry about that, I'm just not a fan of fake smiles is all." I openly grimaced moments later as I realized that wasn't any better than what I originally wanted to say.

Akeno at least seemed to realize that I didn't mean it as an offense to her personally and a slightly more pleasant (and real) smile graced her face for a moment before it changed to a questioning look.

"Apologies received. Though may I ask what you're doing in my shrine?" She asked with a textbook perfect head tilt.

"Ah sorry if I was intruding," I said apologetically, "I'm new to town and Japan in general. When I found out there was a shrine in town, I thought I'd take a look around as I've never been to one before."

Akeno proceeded to stare at me for a moment before the slight tension that had been in her shoulders seemed to leave her slightly as (I could only assume) she determined my words to be true, and her questioning look soon turned into a far more pleasant one.

"Ara ara, if that's the case then please look around all you like. All I ask is that you don't go into the main shrine area. I was in the process of cleaning it when you arrived," she said while drawing my attention to the broom I hadn't even realized was in her hand until that moment.

"Really? Thank you!" I said happily while internally I was chiding myself over not realizing she had a potential weapon in her hands. I mean sure she could just shoot me with a bolt of lightning, but I'd be damned if I underestimated a woman with a broom in her hands. I mean it's like the "Frying Pan of Doom" trope! A woman can make _any_ household item into a weapon if necessary.

"I will leave you to your observing then," she said with a wave as she walked back to the main shrine.

It was only when she was finally inside and the door closed that I took a breath and released the tension that had been boiling up in my gut. Horus's presence also settled in his little niche for the time being and finally allowed me to not have to fight off his battle-lust in order to have a civil conversation.

'I swear, you're gonna get me in trouble one of these days you damn dragon,' I thought irritably as I started exploring the shrine grounds. The huff I got in turn was so equal parts annoyed and scoffing that I just wanted to sag in tiredness over the fact that I had to get such a bloodthirsty Phantasm first.

Not like I'd trade him of course as our bond, even if it wasn't all that strong, was still a bond nonetheless. A bond I didn't plan to abandon anytime soon.

(I pointedly ignored the spike of irritation mixed with embarrassment from said dragon as I did not want to even contemplate the idea of having a _tsunade_ literally living in my soul.)

Still, exploring the grounds was quite the little adventure as the entirety of the shrine grounds extended well into the forest around it. Paths and forest trails led me past different memorial sights all along the back of the hill, and most, if not all of them, had brief text explaining the importance of each with {Observation} adding just a bit more information than was originally given. It reminded me so much of a historical tour that I honestly had to wonder if Akeno had ever considered selling recordings for visitors to listen too as they explored the grounds as a sort of a guided tour. The grounds were plenty big enough for it.

About a half hour of walking later, I found myself at the end of the trails present, and I must admit to finding the final memorial to be quite the eye opener.

A clearing of rich green grass spread along the clearing which housed the occasional rusted sword, rotting, wooden, flag poles still streaming their personalized flags, and a large, cylinder shaped stone easily 20 feet tall stood proud and imposing in the center of the clearing. All in all the clearing was the very definition of "ancient battlefield".

"Wow," I whispered in awe as I walked a naturally made path toward the stone; the thrum of past battles that practically vibrated in the air around me honestly scaring me to raise my voice past a certain volume.

Reaching the stone I was met with a small plaque that read:

**_Here lies the final battleground of Misaki, the Legendary Swordsman. A man who won battle after battle until one hundred men had fallen to his blade without a single defeat. It is said that swordsmen wishing to also claim such a feat come to this battleground, wishing to draw strength from a man who has claimed such a right before them._**

"One hundred battles? That's quite the accomplishment," I couldn't help but muse as I allowed my hand to guide over the stone monument at the center of this final battleground…

Up until a pulse of energy springing from the stone under my hand caused me to jump back with a yelp as something seemed to try and draw my mana towards it.

Glancing between the stone and my hand in confusion, I slowly went about placing my hand back on the stone. The draw from whatever was under the stone returned quickly, and began to, not necessarily pull in my mana, but rather it seemed to try and anchor itself to me.

"Now, what are you?" I murmured trying to help whatever it was trying to anchor itself. Never having done such a thing before I was having quite a bit of trouble; however, and I began to wonder if this would even work…

Right up until Horus cried out from the back of my mind and tried to make the connection to Trinity Tuner on his own in order to materialize. He couldn't do such without my permission obviously, but if he understood whatever was going on I figured, why not?

Now let it be known that linking with Horus through Trinity Tuner from where he resided in my Soul Plane was weird. If I were to describe it, the closest thing I could compare it to would be a set of Russian nesting dolls. At the center there was my soul which housed my Soul Plane and in turn contained my true self and any Phantasms I had awakened. Surrounding my center was a single shell that represented both the physical side of me as well as my own personal "persona" that I showed others. For most people this would be the limit of shells available. Thanks to Trinity Tuner however, more outer shells were created for my use as Trinity Tuner became stronger i.e. leveled up. This in turn allowed Horus to "link up" with one of these new outer shells thus allowing him limited access to the real world past what he originally had as a lost soul.

In a burst of golden flames, one of Horus's incorporeal metal talons formed above my own hand on the stone. Said talon then proceeded to phase into the stone clearly trying to find something within it. The deeper the appendage went, the more the pull seemed to grow, and soon enough I realized what exactly I had been feeling this whole time.

"There's a _Phantasm_ in the stone," I gasped in shock. Horus clicked its beak in agreement through our link as he reached even further into the stone to try and pull out the lost soul.

"Let's see if I can help," I murmured while pumping more power into Trinity Tuner in order to try and form a connection, my third flaming eye flashing into existence above my brow in the process (and yeah, hadn't that been a shock to discover). The extra power helped Horus reach just far enough to find the lost soul and rip it from its confines within the stone.

In a flash of gold and dark silver Horus retracted his, now full, talon and flung the Phantasm to the side, leaving me momentarily confused over why he would do such a thing.

Up until I realized that the lost soul was _already awake_.

From what I could see, the Phantasm's original flame colors were a combination of deep browns, forest greens, and dark blues in color. Its size was also a bit smaller than Horus had originally been while still in his Unawakened form. That quickly changed; however, as soon the flames started forming shapes that looked vaguely like human limbs. The green flames started to show up a lot more than the browns and blues in the process. Soon enough actual limbs burst forth from their flaming confines until a fully grown man stepped forward, flames of green, brown, and blue wafting off his form like an aura.

The man appeared to be wearing traditional samurai armor of some variation, the main coloring being a jade green for the armor and dark blues for the cloth between the armor pieces. Atop his head (with eyes that were covered by shadows) was a traditional samurai helmet with a golden crescent moon crest attached to the top. The final thing of note was the blue sheathed katana strapped across his lower back; the handle of the katana being the same blue as the sheath.

Feeling Horus tense through our link, I soon followed after I pulled my cutlass from my [Inventory] and stuffed my revolver into the space between my two belts for easy reach and to not be seen. Good thing too considering the first thing the Phantasm did upon reforming was to grab his katana in a clearly experienced grip.

'{Observe}.'

**Masaki, the Legendary Swordsman, Tier ? {Lv: ?}:  
**_The lost soul of a once famous swordsman, this Phantasm is an offensive specialist who focused so intently on his swordsmanship in his first life that his skills far exceed the usual limits of human potential._

**[More information cannot be gathered from Phantasm that is currently "lost".]**

'Misaki? That was the name from the plaque,' I thought in shock over the new development. The fact that I couldn't even get more information on his stats and such was also pretty damn concerning, but hopefully that was just because he was still "lost" and not that he was so high a level I couldn't get any more information.

Oh course he then did something that caused my brain to sputter out and question _what the actual fuck was going on_.

"Where am I?"

…Ooookay since when could Phantasms **talk**?!...I mean technically I haven't met any Phantasm besides Horus but still! I had kinda assumed!

"Kuoh Town, Japan," I said tensely as his gaze (and unholy hell no wonder his eyes were usually shadowed; they were _literal_ orbs of _green fire_!) snapped toward me which meant he hadn't actually noticed me until that moment. Perfect.

"I only recognize one word you just said," Masaki said tersely as he thumbed his sword in and out of his sheath in a clear act of unease. A rather dangerous act of unease it needs to be said.

"Well that may have to do with the fact that you've been "sleeping" in that stone," here I gestured with my head towards said stone, never letting my gaze stray from the clearly tense, undead swordsman, "for probably a couple centuries now."

By the time I was done talking, Masaki had stilled so much that even his flaming aura had frozen in the air around him. His gaze locked on my frame with such intensity that I thought I might actually go up in flames myself, and not in the way I've become somewhat familiar with either.

Finally, he finished sheathing his blade from where it was still extended, drew into a slightly more relaxed stance (though it was clear he could make a grab for his sword without a moment's hesitation), and said-

"I believe you." What?

"Really?" Because if I were in your position buddy; I would probably be raving about what the fuck was going on.

"Really. I could tell from within the stone that time was passing around me…though I hadn't expected quite this much time to pass," he said with a frown tugging at his thinned lips.

"Oh…alright then," I uttered a little sheepishly before going into a more relaxed stance myself. "May I ask what exactly you were doing in the stone to begin with?"

Here his frame locked up for another brief moment, the flaming orbs he had for eyes flashing with unmistakable anger and loathing while his aura began to become much more wild than its former wafting state.

"Before I answer, may I know what is known of me in this time period? If anything at all." He asked instead of outright answering.

"Well the plaque over there," here I once again gestured with my head, "said you were a legendary swordsman who had fought one hundred battles without a single loss."

Wow…so _that's_ what it would look like to be pissed off if you had fireballs for eyes. Like a pair of effing **_supernovas_** going off in your eye sockets.

"Oh is that what history says," Misaki ground out practically strangling his sword's sheath with how angry he was.

"Do I need to direct you too somewhere you can vent?" I asked my hands up in a show of clearly _not_ volunteering for such.

That thankfully snapped him out of his lapse in professionalism as he released his hold on his blade and took a step back to sit on a small boulder with a heavy sigh.

"I…apologize for my lapse in composure," he uttered tiredly. "I was simply reminded of what led to this being my final battlefield," he said with a wave to articulate said battlefield.

"Oh…so I'm not gonna have to explain to you the fact you're…ya know," I said, trying not to say the "D" word in case it set him off again.

"No, I accepted my death-actually no, I guess I haven't accepted my death," he corrected himself rather quickly before gesturing to a small rip in the blue leather like area between armor pieces. "From your own use of a sword I can only guess you can recognize that this wound did not in fact come from a sword."

Taking a closer look at the damage in his armor (and wow it is just occurring to me his armor is otherwise undamaged which means he went 100 battles _without any other damage_ to his person. Damn.) I saw what he was talking about in the fact that the actual area pierced was far too small to have been made by a sword of that time. (Well except maybe a rapier, but I honestly doubt you would find all that many rapiers in ancient Japan.) Rather it looked to have been made by-

"An arrow?"

"Yes, a **poison tipped** arrow," he spat out in barely restrained rage.

Oh…ohhh that explains his anger. He was killed not in battle but by an _assassin_. One that clearly had no intention of fighting him face to face in a battle of honor which, considering he wore samurai garb was probably a pretty big deal to him.

"To have been defeated in such a way…my very soul refused such an end," Masaki snarled, his voice rising in pitch and his aura raging along with him as he continued. "When I felt myself beginning to pass, I latched onto the closest thing I could in order to keep myself anchored to this life." Here his gaze shifted to the stone beside us.

"And in doing so you became a lost soul," I muttered finally having all the pieces click into place.

"Yes…I suppose so," Masaki muttered tiredly as he fully reclined against the rock he sat on. The fact that he was already dead seemed to finally register which meant he really didn't have a need to try and defend himself or attack me. "The worst thing about dying like I did however," he continued the rage in his voice building once more," is that I never truly earned the **so called title** I now have!"

Here he snapped his gaze to me, the supernovas he had for eyes burning now with the intensity of a pair of dying stars from the abyss that was his rage. "The moment that arrow pierced my armor, I lost any right I had to claim one hundred battles won which makes my last battle, the battle that took place on this spot against one of my greatest foes **_completely worthless_**!" He _roared_ for the world to hear. To hear of the goal that was lost to him by the hands of an unworthy opponent.

The clearing stayed silent after that. Masaki thankfully taking this time to calm himself of what was rightfully stolen from him while I was processing what I had learned.

Truthfully I came up with a way to fix this particular problem rather quickly.

"What if I could grant you a new final fight?"

At Masaki's raised brow, I forged on. "As you've probably figured out, I have access to a way to allow lost souls such as yourself limited access to the real world." Here I had Horus fully flare into existence behind me from the single limb he had originally been. "I also happen to know of a rather skilled swordsman in town who I can only imagine would be interested in fighting such a skilled opponent in order to test himself-"

Before I could continue Masaki cut me off with a snort," I'm afraid that whoever this swordsman is wouldn't be able to match up to the one I fought so long ago. The man I fought was practically my equal in combat even with his European blood and style of swordplay-"

Here I cut him off because honestly the fact that his so-called "equal" was of European blood could _not_ be a coincidence. "The swordsman I'm thinking of mainly uses broadswords, was trained by the current Lucifer's Knight, and is the Knight of the current Lucifer's sister." Here I leveled him a flat look," if that doesn't at least match up to _at least _a decent fight for you, I'll eat my own sword."

Now that clearly got his attention as his fireball eyes flared in what I imagine was a show of shock before they started to blaze with an eagerness to them that really had me questioning if this was a good idea after all.

"Hmm, now that does sound like a challenge," he mused, the vicious undertones _most definitely_ not going ignored.

"Er r-right," I stuttered reeling a little from the suddenness in his change in behavior. "It might take me a bit to get him to agree though since I've never got the chance to actually talk to him personally. I only really know him by reputation."

Masaki seemed to slump a little at his inability to fight at that very moment before straightening out. A smile now tugging at the corner of his lips. "Very well then, I shall await the fight here," at "here" he gestured to the stone," so as to try and retain as much strength as I can. Even now I can feel the power I have left waning." He finished, frowning as the flames sprouting off his form gained a bit more mass. The increase in flames probably showed the strain of keeping even a semi-solid form on his already limited reserves of strength.

"Until then…sorry I don't believe I ever learned your name," Masaki said followed by a few chuckles over such a thing never coming up.

"My name is Fall Warren," I said with amusement in my own voice.

"Goodbye for now then Fall-san," he said with a bow before he burst into flames and entered the stone once more.

"…well that was a thing."

**Ding! Quest Alert!  
****[Soul Quest: A Swordsman's Final Battle!]  
**_Arrange a battle between the best swordsmen in town and in return earn the eternal gratitude of a wronged soul.  
_{Objective: Arrange a battle between Kiba Yuuto and Masaki, The Legendary Swordsman}  
Rewards: 10,000 EXP, 75,000 Yen, 1 Rare Item Randomizer, and 1 New Passive Skill  
{Bonus Objectives X 3: 1000 Exp per Bonus Objective completed}  
**Accept / Decline**

**[Looks like you've found your first Soul Quest! Soul Quests are unique events that you can discover by trying to help lost souls pass on in peace. Note that since you are helping lost souls pass on you CANNOT gain them as Phantasms.]**

**[Also, just a heads up, you were put within {ID: Empty} as soon as you entered the clearing as otherwise the Gremory Queen would have learned something was going on. This is a one time deal; however, so know that you'll have to deal with the fallout if you're not careful the next time.]**

"Unholy shit I forgot about Akeno," I cursed harshly, while absentmindedly pressing {Accept} because that could have been really bad if not for the system helping me out.

"Still, I didn't figure this would happen when I came out here," I mused while exiting {ID: Empty} in order to walk the rest of the way back to the main shrine complex. "I wonder if Shrine Maiden-san has any more info about Masaki I could read about?"

My outward appearance continued to appear laid back as I made my way back to the shrine while muttering mildly to myself about random things. My inner self on the other hand was wondering who the hell was hiding in the woods about twenty feet to my left. I couldn't get more information from my mini-map as it only showed me a flashing blip, but Horus apparently saw whatever was watching us as a non-hostile, if not a strong non-hostile, if his battle-lust was any indication.

'I bet Akeno called Rias or something, and Rias in turn is having Koneko watch me,' I mused idly as I had no doubt that Akeno had been able to tell I could either use magic or at the very least had it, and if not her, I was pretty sure the "scan" thing that happened when I entered the shrine would have definitely alerted her to that little fact.

Finally arriving back at the shrine with my stalker in tow, I arrived to find Akeno apparently having been waiting for me.

I also took the time walking up to give her a more thorough once over as I had been preoccupied during our first meeting.

And let me just state rather bluntly that Akeno is easily one of, if not _the_ most gorgeous women I have ever seen in my life. (And yes she is most definitely a woman with curves and a face like that.)

With a figure woman around the world would most definitely kill for, hair hung up in a ponytail that curved all the way down to her very prominent rear in one almost never ending wave, violet eyes that shone brightly on her utterly beautiful face, and all of this wrapped up in a very hot miko outfit that did nothing to hide her figure. I could honestly say that I was attracted to her with that single glance alone.

Though I did make sure to only make the one glance over as I considered myself a gentleman. At least enough to not ogle a girl shamelessly and treat them like sex on legs like a rather unfortunate amount of people do.

"Ara ara, how was your walk?" Akeno asked politely. I will admit to being momentarily surprised as I could have sworn I saw Akeno give me her own once over. I also pointedly ignored her quickly licking her lips while possibly doing so.

"Quite enjoyable," I returned pleasantly before turning curious. "I must admit to having been surprised when I found Masaki's battlefield. Usually sights like that are torn apart for artifacts and the like."

Here Akeno's face turned slightly somber before she pursed her lips in annoyance. "Yes, many historians have tried to in the past sadly. Thankfully the past owners of the shrine were able to keep the lease of the land surrounding the hill in order to preserve the sights."

"That's good. It would have been a shame to tear apart such…intense sites," I mused with a smirk, though inwardly I was a little surprised she was even informing me of such.

"Yes, that is what most people experience after visiting Masaki's site," she mused with a smile of her own. A _real_ smile and _damn_ was it breathtaking. "I'm happy you enjoyed your look around," she continued pleasantly before she gained a sheepish look," and I apologize if this is rude, but I don't believe we ever exchanged pleasantries earlier."

'Ah that's what it is.' I inwardly chuckled over her obvious dig for information. Outwardly…well I just chuckled as well to show I just realized the same." Yes, you are quite right. Now that's just rude of both of us," I chuckled as politely as possible though the greater amusement in my eyes must have shown through as she gave her own chuckle, but even more politely. Even going as far as to lift her sleeve to try and hide it.

"Yes well I am the current owner of this shrine, Himejima Akeno." She said with a small bow.

"Fall Warren, new resident of Kuoh Town," I said with a small bow of my own.

"Ara ara, it is nice to meet you Fall-san."

"To you as well Himejima-hime," I replied brightly. I seemed to surprise her with my honorific; however, as she gained an amused smile.

"Ara, I believe you meant to use the honorific san or perhaps even chan Fall-san. Hime is reserved for people of royalty, mainly princesses or those who you consider to be a princess. Though it can also be used when addressing a girl you admire, or used as a type of endearment." She said clearly believing I didn't realize I made a mistake.

The thing is…"No, I understood. That's why I said Himejima-hime," I said with an innocent tilt of the head because honestly, SM fetish aside, Akeno has the looks and behavior of a princess.

It took a grand total of three seconds before Akeno realized I honestly meant what I said and another two for a light blush to dust her cheeks. Wow did that make her look cute.

Raising a hand to her slightly pink cheeks she gave me a closed eye smile. "Ara ara, is Fall-san saying I look like a princess-"

"That is correct Himejima-hime," I said cutting her off with a smirk and playful wink. The light blush she originally had growing just a bit darker in color, and her eyes fully opening in surprise at my blunt honesty because, once again, Akeno is definitely princess material.

Unfortunately Akeno seemed to come to a rather frantic decision if the look in her eyes was any indication. Her "Onee-sama" smile, the one that must have made her quite popular in Kuoh Academy, slid back into place from the more open and surprised look I had so been enjoying looking at. Heck, I actually gave a slight cringe over the change that occurred because the change was _that_ significant when you knew what to look for.

"Y-Yes well, I know this may seem a little sudden Fall-san, but I'm afraid I have to ask you to leave," Akeno said slightly rushed. At my look of surprise, she backtracked quickly while waving one of her hands in a show of apologizing. "I'm sorry. What I meant was that I was about to leave to meet with someone, and I would rather no one was wondering the grounds while I was gone," she explained quickly.

'Damn I must have put her more off guard then I thought with the whole -hime thing.' I thought amused over the whole thing.

"Oh if that is the case then by all means, I will leave Himejima-hime," I said while trying to make my tone as understanding as possible if only to make her calm down. Gotta admit, it was weird seeing Akeno not being her confidant self. Especially since it only took one compliment to make her this way when I knew for a fact that she's complimented in school probably more than any girl would want to be.

Still, after exchanging goodbyes with the Thunder Priestess and hopes of returning if only to explore the trails again as well as actually see the main shrine house which she accepted almost _eagerly_, I quickly made my way back down the hill, and went about wondering what exactly I would make myself for supper tonight.

* * *

If Akeno Himejima was to use one word to describe her day so far it would be…roller-coaster. Not the most graceful or even elegant of words she knew, but it was the only word that _did_ work to describe her day so far.

It had started off simple enough. As it was one of the few days she had off from both her contracts and her duties as Rias's Queen, she had started the day off by cooking herself a heavy breakfast to help fuel her through the long day ahead. After the dishes were done, she went about cleaning her home top to bottom. Every building was swept, moped, and dusted. Every trail was cleared of trash or fallen branches. Every speck of the grounds was cleared of anything even resembling litter or rubbish.

To others the rather mind-numbing tasks would have been practically torture, especially since the grounds were far larger than most would assume, and she had to do it all alone.

Quite frankly though, Akeno rather enjoyed the menial tasks.

If anyone were to ask, Akeno would gladly claim that she cleaned her home so thoroughly because it was the first place she could truly claim as her own outside of some other influence. (She loved Rias, she truly did, but she needed her space sometimes.) The fact that she wished for the closest thing she ever had for a real home to be clean would satisfy just about anyone.

Even herself.

Though the real truth (the truth she herself didn't wish to admit) was that the task reminded her of the _first_ home she had. It reminded her of performing such tasks with the first person she ever truly loved with all her heart…

Those rather dangerous thoughts aside, Akeno would readily admit that the progress of the day took a rather massive change when the wards of her home went off.

Now what most probably didn't realize was that Akeno's home was probably the most heavily warded place in all of Kuoh besides the homes of the town's resident Kings and the school which both resided. As such the wards surrounding her home were top of the line, and they would have no problem repelling any attacker that may wish her or her home harm.

Which is why it was a rather large surprise for her when the wards not only went active at seemingly random but stayed active for well over three minutes in their confusion on whatever they were sensing. Checking out the window of the main shrine house led to her discovering the target of the ward's confusion.

Firstly, Akeno will gladly admit to anyone who asked that her first thought upon seeing the individual practically on her doorstep was, "Did an SS-Rank criminal just break into my home?!"

The individual underneath the Torii gate bore such an incredible resemblance to Kuroka, an SS-Rank criminal and older sister to her fellow Peerage member, Koneko, that Akeno couldn't help but stop short and question why her wards were not either blaring like sirens or trying to incinerate the individual.

Taking a closer look at said individual, Akeno came to a few quick realizations. For one, the individual had much shorter hair than Kuroko's files said she had, secondly the individual was in fact _male_, and thirdly that he was a rather _attractive_ male.

Even from where she was standing, Akeno could tell that the young man was quite the looker with a build slightly bigger than her other fellow Peerage member, Kiba, a very defined face, and hair as black as her own. His yellow eyes were being shadowed by the slight bangs he had while the rest of his hair was pulled back into a small pony tail sticking out the back. With clothing that gave him a rather rough exterior; Akeno would gladly admit to finding the roguish look quite attractive on him.

With her appraising done; however, Akeno had to frown as her home's wards were _still_ trying to decide how they felt about the young man on her front lawn. Sighing in quiet annoyance, Akeno turned off the intention wards (keeping the defensive wards on in case he turned out to be hostile because she wasn't _stupid_), and quickly made her way towards the young man.

Getting closer led to her discovering something quite interesting; however, as the young man was either magic active, had one of the highest reserves of latent magic she had ever personally sensed in a human, or…he was on the cusp of unlocking a Sacred Gear.

She quickly decided that she would need to contact Rias after this.

So plastering on her "Onee-sama" smile that had won over the hearts of practically every young man and woman in her school, she walked toward the young man in hopes of discovering just what made him tick.

Only to falter when his _molten _**_gold_** _eyes_ snapped towards her and seemed to find every little secret she held within her _very _**_soul_**.

(Something she would later deny had made her almost immediately aroused if only because she was supposed to be professional at the time.)

He then went even further with digging in the ice pick trying to chip her apart with his gaze alone by saying something no one had ever claimed before. (Not even Rias, though she would not be surprised if her best friend and King knew.)

"Wow is your smile fake."

Even if on the outside she only seemed to be caught off guard and tense slightly, on the inside it was like getting hit with a sledgehammer.

Never before had someone so blatantly called her out on her mask. Never before had someone pointed out her practically pristine _persona_ in such a blunt manner before that it caused her to be thrown off balance so badly.

Thankfully, after learning his reasons for being there, she allowed herself to relax and return, if only slightly, back to her center. It had been some time since someone had wanted to visit her home, and from the genuine eagerness in his tone (and the sheer _warmth_ that his gaze and presence brought with them) she couldn't help but relax.

Upon waving him off and retreating back to her home's main shrine, she couldn't stop herself from leaning against the shrine's main entrance in order to properly rebalance herself. Once done she quickly went about pulling up the map of her home which showed the position of everyone on the property, and she followed the young man's path through the trails as she called Rias via a magic circle.

Updating Rias on the situation took no more than two minutes. During which time Akeno scolded herself for not being able to give her King the name of the young man as she was focused on reorienting herself at the time. Rias agreed to send Koneko to start tailing the young man, but not before Akeno quickly gave her the warning that the young man resembled Kuroko, and to pass it on to Koneko so that she didn't try to attack him on a misunderstanding.

That over with she continued watching the young man traverse her home while she idly cleaned the main shrine house. She did note that he seemed to stay quite a bit longer at the last site than Akeno would have figured, but considering it was Masaki's battlefield she could understand the feelings he was probably experiencing just standing within the site.

Akeno herself would admit to having been both surprised and respectful of that site after her first time visiting it. The sheer pressure that one battleground held even years after its last battle was easily one of the biggest reasons Akeno was so proud of her shrine, and she felt quite honored to host such a site in her home.

Thankfully the young man seemed to be experiencing the same thing as he stayed long enough that when Koneko finally arrived (a bit stiff she could only imagine because of the warning she gave Rias to pass along) she was able to give her directions to his location and even watch as Koneko arrived at his location not five minutes later.

It took another five minutes before he seemed to have gotten his fill of the former battleground, and he began his slow return to the shrine. It also gave her enough time to finish her cleaning and even go about walking out to meet with him personally in order to fix her previous mistake in the off chance he tried to leave without seeing her.

Talking to him a second time was only a little better than the first as she was slightly more prepared for his smoldering (and she meant that quite literally) gaze to fix itself on her.

Though she would admit to preening a little when she saw him give her a proper once over with only appreciation in his gaze. Something that also made her respect him a little as it was _only_ appreciation in his gaze and nothing more. She had been on the receiving end of enough lustful looks to last a lifetime, so the fact that he didn't look at her like a pair of tits on legs was honestly both a surprise and a relief.

(Why she was relieved by such a thing she pointedly ignored as well as ignoring the way the realization caused her heart to speed up a little.)

Not to say that she was unappreciative of her own looks mind you. She took pride in her looks just like any other woman, and she could easily admit to liking what she saw in the male across from her.

Which is why she also gave him a proper once over in order to show her own appreciation for his form because she could easily admit to finding him quite attractive with his roguish looks, defined face, and golden eyes that were _doing things_ to her insides that she couldn't properly describe.

When he began to blatantly compliment her with pure honesty radiating from his tone; however, she couldn't stop herself from being thrown off center once more. Only this time far worse, as she very rarely received compliments of such honesty from anyone nowadays. The rare exceptions being from her fellow Peerage members and King.

The fact she was receiving such compliments from a male she had already admitted to finding (very) attractive just made the whole thing that much worse. The fact he kept calling her hime (Rias was the princess, not her!) made the "much worse" into "insanely worse" in a matter of moments after he admitted to calling her that on purpose.

The "worse" growing so bad that she knew she had to get him out of her home (she got his name that should appease Rias for now) before she somehow made a (bigger) fool of herself.

So plastering on her "Onee-sama" smile, something she noticed caused him to openly cringe from how fake he somehow knew it was, she went about quickly asking him to leave with a hurriedly made excuse. She didn't even care that Warren (a rather nice name she couldn't help but note) clearly saw her lack of composure because she knew it was only going to get worse the longer he stayed.

When he asked if he could return whilst she was rushing him off (Something her kohai was most definitely going to tease her about. She just knew it.), she would later deny being a little eager to have him return. (Something she also later realized was very hypocritical of her considering how much she wanted him to leave in the first place.)

With him finally gone, she had to take a breath to slow her rapidly beating heart and take a moment to consider just how much she had screwed up her second meeting with Warren. (A name she just couldn't stop thinking was rather nice. Especially when it meant "safe, protected place".)

It was also when she finally realized her kohai was standing beside her with a clearly conflicted look on her own face before it smoothed over, and she turned slightly gleaming eyes to her (all while still sporting her usual monotone look) and uttered something that would seal her fate of teasing for the foreseeable future.

"Crush."

Akeno couldn't stop the red flooding her cheeks if she tried.


	4. Preparing for a Meeting

**Prologue Arc**

**Preparing for a Meeting**

It was just as I was about to arrive home with a few groceries for tonight's dinner tucked in my [Inventory] that I was met with the door of Issei's house slamming open so abruptly that I almost fell over in shock.

"What the fuck Hyoudou?!" I shouted in alarm as I tried to slow my racing heart.

"Ah, s-sorry Fall-san," Issei stuttered out clearly in a rush over something as he raced towards me before jogging in place," but my friend has got a new porno that I've gotta go see!" He said practically salivating at the thought of whatever porn (because obviously, what else would get him this excited except actual tits?) one of his other halves had discovered.

Inwardly huffing in amusement, I outwardly sighed in annoyance before I waved him off in order to continue on his way. I was thus surprised when Issei looked from the street and then back to me in a hurried state.

"Hey, you wanna try and go to the Junk Shop tomorrow?"

Blinking in surprise (Seriously where did that come from?) I tilted my head in thought before giving him an amused smile.

"Sure. How does tomorrow around noon sound?"

"That works great alrightseeyalater!" He rushed out before he began sprinting down the street much faster than I would have figured he could achieve with his 5 AGI. I can only imagine the power of the pervert was at play, and I decided to drop the topic for the time being.

Chuckling in amusement, I went about entering my own home. While in the process of emptying my new groceries for dinner that night; however, I was quite surprised when my phone began going off.

Staring at the unnamed number calling, I slowly lifted it to my face and answered the call.

"Yes, this is Fall Warren speaking."

"Fall-san, this is the Student Council President of Kuoh Academy, Shitori Souna. I apologize for not contacting you sooner, but I am calling to set up an appointment so that you can be informed of the school's rules and regulations." A feminine, no-nonsense voice said from the other end of the line. A voice I could vaguely recognize as the voice of one Souna Shitori, otherwise known as Sona Stiri, the heir to the Sitri clan and little sister of the current Leviathan.

"That is quite alright Shitori-san, though I must admit to not knowing a meeting was even going to be made," I responded, honestly wondering if Rias had told Sona about my presence in town already.

"Yes, I must admit that appointments such as this are not usually made for new students; however, your file states that this is your first extended period of time in Japan. As such, I thought it would be for the best that someone sat down with you face to face to explain any changes you may experience and answer any questions you may have." She said, voice practically dripping with authoritative power. (Trust me. You'd know the tone if you heard it.)

"Ah, that is quite considerate of you Shitori-san, though may I ask where the appointment will be taking place?" I asked in a subtle attempt to try and figure out if her venture to do her job was sincere, or if there was an alternative motive.

"As the school is currently under some renovations at the moment, I was hoping to have the appointment set at your residence." Of freaking course. "I already have the location thanks to your records."

Yeah. No. "I am afraid I would rather not Shitori-san," I said, trying to sound sincere." As you said, I am new to Japan. As such I am still in the process of unpacking, and I would rather not host such an event until I am done."

"That is quite alright." Oh? Then why do you sound so disappointed/vexed?" I believe there is a café/bookstore not too far from your home. Would that be an acceptable location? If so I will message you the address."

"That will do just fine, Shitori-san."

"Excellent. Then does tomorrow work for you?"

"Unfortunately, I agreed to do some shopping with a helpful neighbor tomorrow Shitori-san. I will be free two days from now. Would that work for you?"

"Yes, that will work fine for me." Again, why do you sound disappointed then? "Does around noon work for you?"

"That works just fine, until then Shitori-san."

"And to you as well Fall-san."

Click.

Lowering my phone down, I stared at the ended call for a moment before smacking my head into the cabinet behind me with a groan.

"Dammit," I hissed in annoyance as I thought over what exactly this meant.

Clearly the two Peerages in town knew about me, and from what I could tell at least one of, if not both, were clearly growing interested in me. The major problem with this being the fact they were growing a lot more interested, a lot sooner than I would have liked.

I had hoped that I would be at least near their own top levelers before I got involved or even noticed. Heck, I had really hoped I could last until school started!

Now I've got a two day time limit to try and get to a decent enough level that if a fight were to break out, I wouldn't get my ass handed to me frickin' immediately.

"Looks like I'm gonna be skipping dinner tonight," I sighed tiredly before putting away the groceries for later use. I was gonna make grilled tilapia dammit!

'Get moving Horus because we're about to have a longgg night,' I thought with a burst of irritation at the Evil Dragon in order to get Horus to get his own tail feathers moving. I swear it was either battle-lust and carnage or lazy and lethargic with him.

(Him sending a burst of irritation and the feeling of him snapping his beak at me showed just how much he appreciated my last thought.)

Quickly stepping into ID: Battle Zone, I took a quick stock of my stats and equipment-

**Ding! Quest Alert!  
[Timed Quest: An Appointment has been Set!] {Time Remaining: 1 Day, 18 Hours}  
**_An appointment has been set with one of the resident devils, and you need to be prepared for anything that may happen!_  
{Objective: Complete Tutorial 4 and reach Lv20 before time is up!}  
Rewards: 7,500 EXP, 50,000 Yen, 1 Rare Item Randomizer, and 1 Random Tier II Phantasm  
{Bonus Objectives X 2: +1 Uncommon Item Randomizer per Bonus Objective completed}  
**Accept / Decline**

"That works!" I said eagerly as I practically smashed the {Accept} button.

Taking a quick look around where I last left off in the Undead Zone, I quickly went about gaining access to the roof of the nearest building in a burst of {Black Fire} acting like a booster from the bottom of my feet. This happened to be a trick I figured out after getting {Black Fire Manipulation} to Lv2 as a means to escape hordes easier and quicker than simply jumping.

Glancing at the mini-map, I began roof hopping in the general direction of where my "checkpoint" was marked. (Thank Gabriel for small mercies) As far as my "rampage" last night was concerned, I had traveled just under half the distance needed to reach the end of this particular Zone. I also had a strong suspicion that since the boss of this Zone was called the "Tier One Boss" that there were multiple difficulties to the Zones.

**[For figuring out an interesting piece of information concerning the Battle Zones +1 WIS!]**

"I thought I toggled those to not appear in combat," I muttered aloud while taking pot shots at some random mobs down on street level. {Black Fire} enhanced bullets and {Shadow Spikes} were damn good at picking off easy targets in one or two shots. The fact that all drops went straight into my [Inventory] after I found the toggle opinion for such was honestly a blessing.

**[Figured you would like to know when you're not in intensive combat.]**

"Ehhh alright I guess-Oh not these guys again!" I groaned in annoyance as I soon found an entire platoon of Zombie Warriors (again they were _skeletons_ not effing zombies) waiting for me at a long break in the surrounding buildings. They by themselves weren't all that annoying honestly, even if they were about Level 6-8 apiece. No, it was the fact that they had an _entire row_ of Skull Servants positioned right behind them ready to fire off rounds of fireballs, bolts of lightning, and two effing meter long icicles at me at the drop of a hat.

"Okay screw that, Horus," there was my best dragon-bird friend in all his vicious glory," we're gonna {Black Fire Breath} these fuckers." The, somehow, upturn of his beak was equal parts disturbing and bloodthirsty as he superimposed his incorporeal head onto my own.

To put it bluntly, {Black Fire Breath} was using {Black Fire} and {Dragon Breath} at the same time. The results of which were honestly pretty damn impressive considering it was pretty much a spray and kill attack where I just need to point in one direction. The only downside, the actual cost for using it constantly was really steep. Short term, it was a great way to mow down easy to kill mobs. Long term, the cost for using it was almost not worth it. Even after I had put every skill point Horus gained into {Black Fire}, the 20 MP per second cost when using both together was still pretty high.

I had also found that I couldn't register or create new skills via my Phantasms' own skills which I will admit kinda sucks, but I hadn't yet tried to create new skills beyond those I made in Tutorial II so perhaps I can still create new skills with ones I already own. Food for thought.

That aside though, there was honestly something really cathartic about breathing out black flames like an overly excited flamethrower and using said flames to purge the world of annoyances in the shape of magic slinging skeletons.

Of course I didn't keep the skill going for very long before I dropped down onto level ground and began laying into them with all the vicious battle-lust Horus took to trying to express through our bond. I found just letting it flow out worked better towards helping us bond…oh and increasing his level, but the bond thing was important too!

Slashing my cutlass in a wide arc version of {Flying Slash} the last of the Skull Servants were soon defeated, and I was able to go around and finish off the random Zombie Warrior. Once done, I looked through the list of drops to see if anything new had popped up.

Surprisingly enough there was-WHAT THE HECK?!

**Skeleton Key {Rare} {Item: Consumable / Mystic Code}:  
**_A key made of bone that was once enchanted by a necromancer; it now has the ability to open any lock you may come across._ _  
Can be used to unlock/break a single seal, ward, contract, or lock of the same or lower rarity._

"D-Did I just get a _Rule Breaker_?!" I sputtered incredulously as I stared down at the creepy as fuck key that apparently had the same, one time, ability as a _**Noble Phantasm**_.

Said key appeared to be made entirely of bone with a small skull etched into the handle while the actual teeth of the key were almost constantly shifting into new designs. It was actually a little mesmerizing (and a little morbid) to watch.

Shaking my head, I put away my newest _broken as fuck_ item and began once again traversing in the direction of my goal.

* * *

Sona Stiri would only admit under the threat of death that she was currently pouting in worry.

(Or being threatened to spend the day with her sis-con of an older sister because while she did love her sister; she could be extremely overbearing and childish.)

The reason for her (not) pout could be blamed squarely on the fault of Kuoh Town's newest resident and her soon to be junior.

Warren Fall, to put it bluntly, was an enigma.

The transfer papers to have him move to Kuoh Town were basic and really only just met the necessity needed to move here. His school records showed he was at least competent enough to stay within the top ten percent of his school for all his years of attending, and the only extracurricular course/club he attended was a cooking club which he apparently used in order to compete in state level competitions and even one national level event.

(If everything worked out after all was said and done, she was honestly considering asking him to cater some meetings if some of the rumors she was finding out about his skills were true.)

The only other things to really note beyond that was the fact that both his parents apparently died in an accident when he was very young, and he had been living with an aunt ever since.

Of course there was now the new piece of information Akeno had been able to dig up concerning the young man that had her very interested.

It wasn't often that humans, especially those outside of magical communities, were born with larger than average magic potential. The rare few that did were usually snatched up rather quickly by said magic communities, or even the lucky Devil who happened upon them as a possible new member of their Peerage. The fact that the cause of his magic potential could even be a nearly unlocked Sacred Gear was really only icing on the cake.

Then finally add in the fact that he apparently struck a very large resemblance to a SS-Class criminal (to the point Akeno claimed he looked like a gender bent, short haired version of said criminal), and you found yourself wondering just what in hell the information departments were doing to have missed such an individual.

The fact that Warren had made it to _16 years old_ without _anyone_ finding out about him when Akeno had confirmed he had at _least_ Low Class Devil reserves of _latent_ magic was quite frankly baffling. Add in his looks and baffling just grew to downright shock.

Besides this fact, Warren looked to be your slightly more than average high school student with an apparent gift for cooking…

Well…there was _one_ more thing, but she wasn't planning on airing that particular piece of information until she had someone to bounce her ideas off of, and while usually she could trust her Queen to help her do such…this particular issue really needed to be brought to her fellow King's attention before Rias got it in her head to try and "claim" the young man without all the facts.

So gathering her notes together she finished her preparations for when Rias, her Queen, and Rook were to arrive. The only members of her own Peerage present were her Queen, Tsubaki Shinra and her only Knight, Tomoe Meguri, who was simply there to help her deal with paperwork as the student council's secretary.

Not three minutes later, a red flash appeared through the gaps in the student council doorway, and Rias, Akeno, and Koneko made their way in with all the poise that came from their station. Or in Koneko's case just her usual monotone that somehow came across as semi-respectful at that moment.

Though the scene probably wasn't as professional as it could have been as Rias was harboring a rather mischievous smile, Koneko's usually monotone face sported a slightly twitching lip, and Akeno wore a small pout and blush.

The reverse in roles was actually large enough to give Sona pause as she tried to figure out how her three friends had switched bodies before the thought left just as quickly, and she decided to simply question them after the meeting.

"Rias, Akeno, Koneko," she greeted with a bow of her head.

"Sona," they greeted with their own bow of the head which they then copied to the other occupants of the room.

"Tea, sweets?" Tsubaki asked as she brought over a tray of said tea and sweets and after delivering thanks and taking a few sips. (Koneko doing her name sake proud when she practically pounced on the sweets provided.) The meeting started with a single question.

"So what have you found?"

"Only the basics," Sona replied with a small frown as she passed over some of the files she had while choosing to air her most interesting piece of information only after they had a basic understanding of who Warren Fall was.

"A national level chef at only sixteen, that is quite the accomplishment," Rias couldn't help but note with a raised brow.

"Yes, if all goes well, I was considering hiring him to help cater some meetings and events down the line," Sona commented while hoping Rias would understand what exactly she was implying.

Something she thankfully did as Rias lowered the file down and gave her a questioning look.

"What exactly is there to worry about? From this it looks like he's just your regular, if not decently smart, high school boy. National level chef and the fact that he has a rather large magic potential or even a Sacred Gear aside, it doesn't look like there would be any problems."

That had Sona's frown twitch for a moment as she slid over the last file she had been holding onto and inwardly sighed as Rias clearly didn't want to mention Warren's looks in front of her Rook if the worried looks she was sending said tense girl were any indication.

"I am afraid the situation could be a bit more complicated than we expected," she said before folding her hands together to rest her chin on. "It appears that Fall-san's choice to move here may have been influenced by a former relative who once lived in town."

It took only five seconds of looking through the final file for Rias's entire frame to lock up and her eyes to grow wide as she stared down at the same information that was causing Sona to frown (_**not**_ pout) in worry.

"He is…" Rias started before trailing off; worry clear in her tone and stance.

"Yes," she nodded, her frown growing deeper and her glasses glinting pure white. "Fall Warren is the nephew of the late Yaegaki Masaomi, the previous exorcist in charge of the Angel Faction in town…and previous holder of the title, 5th Strongest Exorcist in the World."

* * *

"{Shadow Stitching}!" I yelled out in turn causing the shadows around me to lash out in long bending spikes that pierced the Zombie Warriors and Hard Armors around me. The resulting attack anchoring all the enemies around me and allowing me easy access to all their weak points in order to nearly one hit each one that came upon my currently flaming blade-

"_{Counter}!_" I yelped as I swung my cutlass at an incoming bolt of lightning and in turn sending it right back at the Skull Servant that tried to take a pot shot at me.

A mental nudge from Horus then had me turning to the left just enough to see one of the newest banes of my existence charging at me while mowing down its allies like they were traffic cones.

**[Mammoth Graveyard] [Lv: 12] [Race: Undead Beast]  
[HP: 1000/ 1000] [SP: 500/ 500] [MP: 125/ 125]  
[STR: 30] [AGI: 10] [VIT: 40] [END: 20] [INT: 5] [WIS: 5]** **[LUCK: 0]**

'Jump, _jump_, _**jump**_!" I thought frantically as I pushed {Black Fire} through my feet fast enough to send me flying upwards like a rocket. Thankfully this had the side effect of finishing off the remaining undead that had pinned me in a corner and getting me out of the way of the mammoth skeleton's charge.

Unfortunately, it also caused me to be in the direct line of sight for all the remaining Skull Servants that took the obvious opportunity to lay into me with a virtual storm of magic spells and _I was just so fucking done._

"Horus, _{Nova}. __**Now**_," I snarled with all the frustration I had been accumulating from my _twelve fucking hours_ in this _nightmare zone_ coloring my tone the shade of murderous red.

On my command, Horus let the entirety of his battle and blood lust flood through me like lava, and he fully materialized around me in order to wrap me in his black and gold flaming wings from the combination of my flames and his own. The monstrous rush of emotions in turn then caused the black and gold flames around us to flare _inward_ for the barest of seconds in an imitation of a dying star…

Before Horus spread his metallic wings outward and **roared**, blasting the flames outward in an AOE explosion of flames and _**murderous rage**_.

The utter carnage caused was easily enough to flash fry every mob that had been on the street below and drop the Mammoth Graveyard to well under _half_ its original HP from where it was thrown backward and _through_ a nearby building.

The remaining HP it soon lost when I slammed into it from the air like a meteor, digging my cutlass into what remained of its spinal column while blasting the back of its skull with {Black Fire} enhanced bullets.

The Mammoth Graveyard finally defeated, I was able to finally breathe for a moment…

'**SKRRRR!**'

Before I then had to duck in order to avoid the large, blood red saber that attempted to make me twenty pounds lighter by cutting my head off, and Horus exploded into existence from my back in order to drown the fucker with the reddish, orange flames created by {Dragon Breath}.

"Are you finally done running?!" I snarled at the wielder of the crimson colored sword as I stuffed my revolver into my [Inventory] and pulled out an Iron Broadsword (I got a lot of them from fighting Zombie Warriors) instead.

The wielder of said sword was a demonic looking skeleton dressed in dark grey, knight based armor with dull yellow outlines spread throughout, two, large, horn-like protrusions shooting out horizontally from its helmet, and finally a blood red cape streaming behind it like a crimson fog. The entirety of the image gave form to one of the most powerful enemies I've yet to face.

It was also the single most _rage inducing_ enemy I've faced since entering the Zone.

**[Skull Knight] [Lv: 15] [Race: Fiend Knight]  
[HP: 625/ 625] [SP: 500/ 500] [MP: 250/ 250]  
[STR: 20] [AGI: 50] [VIT: 25] [END: 20] [INT: 10] [WIS: 15]** **[LUCK: 0]**

"Come here you pile of doggy treats!" I roared as I sped toward the Skull Knight before it could recover from getting hit point blank with Horus's {Dragon Breath}. It gave its own battle cry in the form of clacking its jaw bones together loudly before it met my charge by blocking my two swords.

"{Dragon Breath}," I snarled in its face as Horus flashed into existence above my head in order to try and flash fry the undead pest by pumping out a cyclone of dragon fire from his opened beak-

Only for it to seemingly disappear in a burst of speed just like it had for the last _**three hours**_.

"Oh fuck you!" I yelled at the Skull Servant as it reappeared about ten meters back. It cackled at me for a moment (for the _twelfth fucking time_ in the last _hour_) before shooting forward once again in a burst of speed.

I barely had enough time to raise my swords to block the strike, but even then it didn't matter as the attack, amplified by the boost in speed thanks to whatever skill it was using, proceeded to crack and break my Iron Broadsword in a shower of shrapnel. The resulting shrapnel burrowing its way into my arms and chest and almost blinding me while my Steel Cutlass only barely hung on from where the Skull Knight's saber was halfway lodged in it.

Now let me explain something really quick.

Over the last _**three hours **_this single enemy has continuously attacked, taunted, and downright _harassed_ me as it appeared at seemingly random and performed hit and run tactics like a pro. During which time it has destroyed up to ten Iron Broadswords, twenty Wooden Shields (that I also got from Zombie Warriors), and drained me of well over 1000 HP that I have only regained thanks to acquiring a means to create HP Potions from the Bone Meal I got from grinding up Reinforced Bones and another new item, Small Mana Crystals.

Of course thanks to it always running away for enough time to let me heal up to full that also led it to being fully healed at the beginning of each fight.

Thanks to this, I have unfortunately become very familiar with its mannerisms as well as its methods of attack. One such mannerism being that it _loves_ to destroy my swords any chance it gets. The fact that it has constantly tried to destroy my Steel Cutlass by striking the same spot repeatedly every time we cross blades just goes to prove this further.

Now though, as it begins to pull back from my block and stares at me with demonic glee over finally, permanently causing damage to my favored blade, I did something that I hope will finally _**kill this undead fucker**_.

I twist the hand holding my Steel Cutlass in just a way, the steel it's made of practically screaming from the strain of such an action, to lock the Skull Knight's sword in place.

"You're not going anywhere," I hissed at it as the shadows under us began to bubble and whip around from the force my rage had become. Something the armored skeleton seemed to only just then pick up on as it tried and, most importantly, _failed_ to retch its crimson sword from where it was locked in my own blade.

I then thrust the hand no longer holding my Iron Broadsword down in order to make it easier to make the connection for what I was about to do.

"{Shadow Spear}," I intoned with a sneer as a good chunk of the shadows under us suddenly jumped just a little ways from my outstretched hand and formed an eight foot long spear of pure shadow. A spear I then launched into the surprised Skull Knight's chest and in turn sent it flying up and backwards from the force behind the blow.

I only paid the barest attention to the fact that the skelly was so surprised that it let go of its prized saber from where it was still attached to my own cutlass, and I instead focused on the mob as it flew upward while trying to grab at the {Shadow Spear} in order to stop it from carrying it higher and higher.

I then dropped the remains of my Steel Cutlass and the skeleton's sword and thrust a hand down with another call of {Shadow Spear}. Once the shadow based spear was in hand, I braced the arm loaded with the shadow weapon and proceeded to **condense it**.

It was only when the spear was about two feet in length and more so resembled an arrow (Well an arrow that practically absorbed the light around it because condensing darkness leads to _a lot more_ _darkness_. Who knew?) that I stopped condensing it in order to take a deep breath from the strain such a thing required and prepared myself for the next step.

"Alright Horus, light it up!"

And like that the {Condensed Shadow Spear} was coated in a layer of {Black Fire} thick enough for _me_ to feel the heat (which was really impressive considering I had a _complete immunity_ to it thanks to {Black Dragon Scales}), and I threw the condensed spear upward like a reverse bolt of black lightning with how fast it flew at the still struggling Skull Knight-

"_**BOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!**_"

-and proceeded to engulf the skeleton in an explosion of {Black Fire} and shadowy _death_ that lacked the bright light most would incorporate with an explosion and replaced it with darkness that practically _swallowed __the sky_.

I simply stood there for a moment, staring at the darkened sky caused by my, frankly overpowered, attack, and I only allowed myself to release the breath I had been holding when I saw the Exp needed for my next level up increase thanks to the kill.

"Fucking finally," I groaned out more tired than I had ever found myself in either life. Horus actually agreed with me as he disconnected from Trinity Tuner and proceeded to try and hunker down for a nap. Taking a quick look at my HP, MP and SP, I didn't even bother hiding the wince that appeared upon seeing them all below 100. This being the lowest they had ever dropped in battle sans my first, big fight with Zombie Dragon. The fact that I was still a good half way towards my next level up also meant I couldn't depend on a level up to restore my stats quickly, and considering I haven't gone a solid ten minutes without running into a horde in the last couple of hours…

"Yeah, I think that's enough for the time being," I muttered with drooping eyes as I forced myself to stand, wincing as the action pulled at the metal shrapnel still lightly embedded in my arms and chest. It was only upon grabbing for my Steel Cutlass that I remembered the fact I had to pretty much sacrifice it in order to finally kill Skull Knight.

"Well I suppose you're as good a replacement as any," I muttered as I grabbed for the Skull Knight's own saber still anchored in my cutlass. A quick {Observe} only proving that statement-wait what?!

**Demon Blood Saber {Rare} {Item: Sword / Mystic Code}:  
**_A sword originally meant to slay demons, it absorbed the blood of so many demonic creatures that it gained demonic resonance of its own, so only the most bloodthirsty of individuals or most secure of mind can wield it._**  
**_Deals a Base 30-50 Physical (DARK) DMG  
Grants a 25% increase to all Physical DMG dealt to DARK aligned beings while in use.  
Grants +10 STR and +10 AGI_

"Well that explains some things," I whispered in shock as I stared at the blood red blade I now held wide eyed. Shock that was further compounded when Horus reared back in my mind, emerged from behind me, and grabbed my head in order to direct my gaze upward because floating there in the sky, as innocent as could be, was what looked like a black and red colored _**Phantasm**_.

"…How the _hell_ am I supposed to get that?"

In the end I ended up having to use what little remained of my MP in order to make an extremely stretched thin {Shadow Stitching} in order grab the Phantasm, and the end result was me gaining Skull Knight as a new Phantasm which I had some very mixed feelings about.

For now though, I was so done with {ID: Undead} that I decided to "screw it" and pretty much collapsed out of the ID into my living room. I then quickly went about stumbling my way upstairs, trashed all the clothes that had been ruined from my little "excursion", finally removed the shrapnel that had further trashed said clothes, took a relaxing shower, and crashed onto my bed for a nice, long…

"I have to meet Issei in four hours," I almost wept as I stared at the clock placed on my night stand with tears in the corners of my eyes.

**[You have an appointment set for 12:00 PM. Would you like to set an Alarm to wake you?]  
{YES/NO}**

Staring at the textbox, I could only sigh in defeat before taping what time I would like it to wake me up. Three and a half hours would hopefully be enough time to recharge with {Gamer Body} in the mix.

With a means for me to wake up on time, as soon as my head hit my pillow I was out like a light...

...

...

...

...

**[Alarm will go off in-]**

**[5]**

**[4]**

**[3]**

**[2]**

**[NYAN NYAN NYAN NYAN NYAN NYAN NYAN NYAN NYAN NYAN NYAN NYAN NYAN NYAN NYAN NYAN NYAN NYAN NYAN NYAN NYAN NYANNYAN NYAN NYAN NYAN NYAN NYAN NYAN NYAN NYAN NYAN NYAN NYAN NYAN NYAN NYAN NYAN NYAN NYAN NYAN NYAN NYAN NYAN -]**

"FOR FUCKS SAKE TURN IT OFF!" I screamed at the top of my lungs to make the bloody noise _**STOP**_!

Thankfully, telling it to stop was all that was needed as one of the most annoying sounds I had ever heard finally stopped. Seriously, who the fuck decided it would be a good idea to have the word _Nyan_ going on for infinity?! Much less the actual _Nyan Cat_ version of all things!

That little slice of insanity over with; however, I laid back fully awake and thought over what all had happened last night.

Besides the rather sucky way it ended, last night had been massively productive. I had not only reached the ¾ mark as far as the ID went, gotten tons of material (both new and old), at least 35,000 Yen in a single night's work, and massive level gains for all my skills (again both new and old). I could also proudly say that I was well on my way to reaching Lv 14 while cruising around the mid-range of Lv 13.

Also, big news here! I actually got {Magic Core - Small} and {Magic Control - Beginner} to high enough levels that they maxed out and "evolved" into two new Passive Skills, {Magic Core - Medium} and {Magic Control - Novice}

{Magic Core - Medium} worked basically the same way as {Magic Core - Small} in that it not only worked as my means to use MP, but it also increased the MP gain from the skill up to 500 as well as boosting MPR by a good 5 points per minute which was huge.

{Magic Control - Novice} on the other hand didn't really change as far as the text for the skill went, but I still noticed some rather big changes thanks to the evolved skill. Case in point my new ability to **condense** magic based attacks. Something I most definitely would not have been able to do before evolving the skill.

If I'm going to be completely honest, I'm pretty sure the only reason I advanced as much as I did last night was based solely on the fact I evolved these two skills.

That aside, I also got {DARK Manipulation} high enough to start creating some new skills as was previously seen in the forms of {Shadow Stitching} and {Shadow Spear}. Those weren't the only new skills I had made; however, as I had also created some rather basic weapon based DARK skills such as {Shadow Arrow} and {Shadow Sword} both of which pretty much did what they were called. Though the later was pretty much a higher costing/damage dealing version of {Shadow Spike} at the moment.

Before I go on; however, let me make one thing clear. My version of the [Gamer System] was probably one of the more _realistic_ versions out there. Now before someone starts yelling or something let me explain. (Also Ya for fourth wall breaking!)

It first needs to be said why exactly I ended up creating my new skills when I was already in a time crunch as it was, and I needed to cover as much ground as possible.

The simple truth of the matter is that I simply _wasn't strong enough_ to continue with the skills I had.

Within the first couple hours of my being in the Undead Zone, I found myself having to take up to _twenty breaks_ in the span of a _single hour _because I either ran out of MP and SP or my HP dropped so low that I didn't want to risk it. The results of such breaks usually gave me time to not only look through all the loot I had gained (and seriously some of what I got was reallllly obscure. I mean really what use did I have for Zombie Teeth, Undead Tongues, or Rotting Flesh?), but to also use my new {Meditation} skill in order to regain my lost stats even faster.

**Meditation, Active {Lv: 16} {Exp: 22.2%}:  
**_A skill created in order to improve inner focus, this skill allows one to find their inner self and improve themselves by finding it.  
Grants +8 INT and +8 WIS while in use and a 50% increase in HPR, MPR, and SPR  
CONDITION: Cannot be used in combat!_

And honestly those first four hours weren't all that bad because even with the breaks I knew at the time that I needed to pace myself. Something that I really didn't do all that well my first night here, but in my defense an Evil Dragon supplying a rage induced adrenaline boost can really carry you far as long as the enemies aren't all that strong.

But it was when the enemies started getting tougher _that_ became the _exact problem_.

It was right when I reached the half-way point of my "expedition" that I started running into much more annoying but also much more _**dangerou**_**s** threats.

Because while Skull Knight may have been the most annoying/difficult enemy I had to deal with last night; it wasn't the only Phantasm I gained after a difficult fight last night.

It was the _**third**_.

The first difficult fight I endured had ended up being against a stronger version of a Hard Armor called a Headless Knight. Not only had the magical set of armor been a much better swordsman than any other threat I had endured so far; it had also been the first enemy I encountered to have its own Passive Skill. In this case the Passive Skill was {Iron Defense} which granted the Headless Knight a boost in Physical DEF (something I only learned after I gained it as a Phantasm) which only factored into its own natural defenses and high END and VIT stats. This had forced me to have to rely on {Shadow Spike} and {Flying Slash} for a time before I came to realize that the attacks simply didn't have the piercing power I needed to deal any significant damage. This had led to me having to make a tactical retreat in order to recover as my first engagement with the superior mob had led to me being drained very quickly.

(The fact that it was surrounded by other Hard Armors that were prepared to make me a shish kabob at the first sign of weakness at the time had also played a rather large part in my decision.)

With the realization that my current skill set just wasn't enough to deal with the new enemy, I spent the following three hours creating numerous new skills that would allow me to defeat the new enemy. The most important of which had been {Shadow Spear} which I had gotten inspiration to create from both Angel Factions.

**Shadow Spear, Active {Lv: 8} {Exp: 3.9%}:  
**_By taking inspiration from the Angel Factions, you have created an elemental spear of your own power that has all the piercing power you could ever need._  
_Cost: 13 MP  
Deals 42 (DARK) Magical DMG + Base INT  
Unique Skill: {Piercing I}_

With new skills in hand/mind, I had quickly gone about finding the "mini-boss" and proceeded to bombard it and its surrounding bodyguards in a rain of {Shadow Spears} and {Shadow Arrows}. {Shadow Arrows} being exactly as the name suggests.

The end of that fight had been slightly anti-climactic as a result, but I had been rather surprised upon finding the Headless Knight had been converted into a new Tier I Phantasm for my use.

**Headless Knight, Tier I {Lv: 1} {Exp: 0.0%}:  
**_A Tier I Phantasm of the DARK element. This Dark Warrior Phantasm was originally created to work as a defensive measure by mages by putting an artificial soul within a suit of armor, but it was eventually inhabited by a dark spirit. It uses its high defense and lack of common weak points to rush an opponent with reckless abandon while still displaying proficient sword skills._**  
[STR: 5] [AGI: 1] [VIT: 10] [END: 10]** **[INT: 1] [WIS: 1]** **[LUCK: 1]  
Unused Skill Points: 0  
Skills:  
Iron Defense, Passive {Lv: 1}:  
**_By channeling the defensive power of Headless Knight, you can now strengthen your own natural defenses with ease._**  
**_Grants a 25% increase to Physical DEF_

Overall I had been pretty happy at the time, and I had even been able to immediately use my new Phantasm as Trinity Tuner had reached Lv10 thus giving me the ability to have two Phantasms Active at once. Though it worked more like the Persona franchise in that while I could have a few in my party at a time I could still only use one truly actively at a time.

Unfortunately I should have figured it my good luck wouldn't last.

I had traveled a good two hours after that particular fight when I had stumbled across what looked to be a large cathedral like church that was in disrepair. Obviously, as it was the first big change I had found in my environment in a while, I went about exploring the new area in hopes of finding something interesting.

Instead I found bats. _Lots and lots of bats_.

So many bats that in the end I had ended up having to literally blow the building the pieces via my new {Condensed Shadow Spear} plus {Black Fire} combination (I should probably name such a destructive skill now that I give it some thought.) that had left me drained and tired for a good half hour after using it. I did end up getting a new Phantasm in the form of an eyeball, bat, demon _thing_ that was able to shoot DARK based attacks from well…its eye.

**Meda Bat, Tier I {Lv: 1} {Exp: 0.0%}:  
**_A Tier I Phantasm of the DARK element. This Fiend Phantasm was created by a dark mage to act as his familiar and scout. As such it does not have many offensive capabilities besides its signature skill: {Dark Blast}._**  
[STR: 1] [AGI: 5] [VIT: 1]** **[END: 1]** **[INT: 10] [WIS: 10]** **[LUCK: 1]  
Unused Skill Points: 0  
Skills:  
Dark Blast, Active {Lv: 1}:  
**_A rather basic DARK skill that focuses the more destructive forces of darkness into a sphere to be launched at the enemy._**  
**_Cost: 1 MP_**  
**_Deals 25 (DARK)Magical DMG per blast_

The new Phantasms aside; however, actually creating the new skills that allowed me to hold my own had been a much harder experience than I had originally imagined.

From what I could tell the actual level of {DARK Manipulation} was not based on the experience I gained from using DARK Affinity skills, but rather it was based on my actual _skill_ with the Affinity. Or rather my _**proficiency**_ with controlling dark based techniques.

So when I went about actually trying to create new DARK skills, it took a lot more effort than I had anticipated as any new skill I was creating would only properly register with my [Gamer System] after I had gained enough proficiency in whatever new skill I was trying to create.

(Something that I questioned as I had easily been able to create skills during Tutorial II, but a notice from the [Gamer System] pretty much explained it was looking the other way with those skills because all together they were rather basic skills. Minus [Counter] that is, but the [Gamer System] figured throwing a Lv15 boss at me required a unique skill so it allowed it as well.)

That's why it took a solid half-hour to just create {Shadow Spear} even though the actual concept behind it was fairly simple. The fact that even after the skill was created I still had to actually concentrate and focus on the manipulation the entire time it was in use was also rather taxing mentally. Heck {Shadow Stitching} took me a solid hour to make from the sheer fact that I simply didn't have the mental capacity or experience to create a large amount of moving {Shadow Spikes} at the same time. Instead I had to cheat a bit by simply having four "stitchings" stretch out as that was my limit of control at the moment.

In fact the only DARK skill I found that I didn't have any problem using was {Shadow Spike}. I believed the reason behind this; however, had to do with the fact I gained the skill from a Skill Book rather than actually creating the skill.

"I wonder if increasing my stats would make it easier to use certain skills?" I pondered while getting dressed. My outfit for the day consisted of a pair of blue jeans, a dark grey shirt, a sleeveless black hoodie with a yellow stylized sun along the back, a set of duel belts, and a pair of heavy duty hiking boots that were just plain cool in my personal opinion. I had also decided to have my equipment designs toggled to not appear for the time being. The final item of note was my Lucky Charm which I took off its leather cord and instead pinned to the inside fold of a white bandanna I found in my closet and tied around my left bicep.

"I mean, I'm pretty sure it's easier to gauge how much strength I actually need to put into my swing in order to activate {Power Slash} without vocalizing it," I continued to think aloud as I made my way downstairs. "Even if that is the case; however, it's not like I'll be able to use my Unused Stat Points. I'm already pushing it with the stat boost I got last night, and that's not even considering {Magic Core}." I muttered a little irritated as after meeting with Akeno I realized that my "cap" for my overall magical power was now known. Any truly major increases in such would probably cause them to get either worried or suspicious.

Before I could let my irritation grow any farther; however, knocking from the front door had me blinking in surprise and turning to a clock in my living room.

'Hyoudou is kinda early,' I thought in surprise as I didn't really see Issei as being one to arrive early for anything other than something to do with "oppai".

Actually opening the door though led me to blinking in surprise and voicing a question rather quick.

"What the hell happened to you?"

"Ehheheh," Issei chuckled lowly before wincing as he rubbed a number of bruises along his face. "My friend's porno from last night ended up being a bit…different than what I expected."

I could only stare at him as my mind raced to figure out what exactly that meant. Actually no, I understood what probably happened, but I couldn't help asking the first thing that came to mind with both his wording and his new injuries.

"Did he or she call you over for some S&M or something?"

You know my friends in my old life had said that I had a talent for making people uncomfortable or just flat out embarrassed with very few words. The worst part of it being the fact that I would say or ask things with such a straight face they could never figure out if I was really messing with them, or if I was just honestly curious.

The truth was a little of both really.

Still didn't stop me from smothering a laugh when Issei practically choked on air and then proceeded to both convulse in disgust and dry heave into the bushes near my front door.

"I am going to guess I was wrong?"

"Y-Yes you're wrong!" Issei stuttered out with green tinting his cheeks; the disgust clear in his eyes and tone.

"Well from the way you worded it I could only really assume-"

"J-Just stop talking! My friends, Matsuda and Motohama, found a peep hole in a hot spring on the edge of town. We got caught in the act and beaten up," he rushed out frantically in order to try and clear up the misunderstanding.

"Ohhh, that makes much more sense," I said with a nod. Inwardly I was cackling at making him so flustered while Horus and Headless Knight joined me with a screeching/squawking version of a chuckle and clanking of metal on metal. Trust me when I say it is just as creepy as you think.

"R-Right let's get going then," Issei muttered, clearly still a little flustered before he began making his way down the road in a hurry. In fact, he was going so fast I actually had to jog to catch up with him, and then had to _keep_ jogging in order to keep up with him.

"Are we in a hurry or something?" I asked not even panting like I would have in my past life. The fact that Issei was the same was honestly a bit baffling. Though now that I give it a bit more thought, his END and VIT stats were pretty damn high last I checked, and considering END is what influences his stamina...

Though now it just makes me sad to think that pre-Devil Issei has better base stamina than me.

"Yeah, a little bit actually," he said, wincing after just about every step. Man he must have gotten hurt worse than I thought. "I happen to know the guy running the Junk Shop well enough to call him to see if anything new has come in. When I called to tell him I was bringing someone new over today, he warned me that he had some stuff he needed to take care of later today, so he was gonna be closing up early."

"Oh! If that's the case, we could have rescheduled," I said with a frown.

"Welll I may have left out the fact when I called him I also told him your name," Issei said while scratching the back of his head before wincing worse when he came across a pretty bad bump. He then gained a rather big grin and continued," its turns out I _did_ know your uncle! Apparently he was the godfather of a childhood friend of mine, so I had met him a couple times! Heck, he used to baby sit me and Irina when my parents went out on dates! So now Jack-ji-san wants to meet you in order to give you some stuff your uncle left behind after...well you know." He finished with a slight grimace at bringing up what he thought to be a sensitive topic.

Which bravo to him because it honestly was a bit of a sore spot for me. My uncle Masaomi had been a massive help for me growing up. Even if I hadn't had the chance to see him all that often since he traveled a lot, the times he did stay around were probably some of my best childhood memories. The day he died was always gonna be one I remembered, and I would happily continue to do so in this life. Well…even if my uncle had been changed into a kick ass Exorcist from his former job of being a translator for mission teams that went all over the globe. The fact that in both lives he was still a member of the Church was just funny really.

Also let's not even bring up the fact that from Issei's wording it looks like my uncle had been _Irina's_ godfather. For all of you who don't remember why that is a very big deal it's because it was Irina's _father_ who went about actually killing my uncle or at the very least was a part of the team that did the deed.

Instead of any of the things I just thought about, I instead asked," does this mean I'm related to your childhood friend in some weird, non-blood, related way?"

That made Issei stumble for a moment as it did kinda come out of left field. "Umm I'm not all that sure," he said with a weak chuckle," I mean if you ever meet Irina-chan in person, I guess you could just ask her then."

That made _me_ stumble for a moment as Issei just addressed Irina as _**her**_ and _**-chan**_ when at this point in time he should have still thought Irina was a _**he**_.

I didn't get a chance to come up with a means to question/work my way around the topic to ask how he knew Irina was a girl as we soon arrived at the mall. Walking inside, both of us only slightly winded which really made me question how the fuck Issei's END and VIT were so high, we made our way towards The Junk Shop.

The store itself didn't look all that interesting mind you. It was just kinda squeezed in between two other buildings, and it looked like it needed a new coat of paint with the once tan bricks being a pale brown in color from probably years of just sitting there.

Walking inside was a completely different story as it made me understand exactly why it was named The Junk Shop.

Walls lined with books, old toys, electronics, and other assorted nic naks were the main things of focus when you first entered the store. The second thing you would notice would probably be the dozens of cords tied from the top of each aisle in criss crossing patterns that each held even more nik naks and miscellaneous items from baskets or just bags in general. The fact that the isles set up along the rest of the room were pretty much the same really only just added to the picture of it being a rather nice, if not really cluttered, junk shop.

"Hey Jack-ji-san!" Issei yelled out upon walking in. That action probably wasn't the best idea as a loud crash was soon heard from an area behind the store counter and a various assortment of curses soon followed.

"Dammit you Ero-gaki!" A rather gruff voice yelled out from the back room before a large man stumbled his way from behind the counter. Once he got his bearings, he glared at Issei for a few seconds before his gaze landed on me and...went glazed over?

The man himself was pretty tall and broad looking if not quite old if his graying hair and beard were any indication. He also had some of the most stormy grey eyes I had personally ever seen. His outfit for the moment consisted of a loose tank top and ripped blue jeans with a work apron set up along his front that did nothing to hide the numerous scars adorning his arms and chest. All in all he looked like some kind of old grizzled war veteran, but he didn't really display any kind of supernatural leanings from what my limited senses were telling me.

A quick {Observe} had me immediately revising that last thought _greatly_.

**[Name: Jack Abbott] **_  
_**[Race: Human][Gender: Male] [Age: 62]  
[Titles:] [Retired Exorcist] **_  
_**[Bloodline Ability: ?]  
[Level: ?]**

**[HP: ?] [HPR: ?]  
[MP: ?] [MPR: ?]  
[SP: ?] [SPR: ?]**

**[STR: ?] [AGI: ?] [VIT: ?] ****[END: ?] ****[INT: ?] ****[WIS: ?] ****[LUCK: ?]**

Okayyyy I'm just gonna let the fact that this guy is probably _one of the strongest people in town _**drop dead** where it stands.

'Something I'd really like to do Horus, so would you kindly _shut the fuck up_,' I snarled into my head as Horus repeatedly slammed burst of battle-lust into our connection while crying out in anticipation of whatever fight he believed would happen. Thankfully he stopped when asked and instead went back to tormenting Skull Knight by using it as a chew toy.

(Something I didn't exactly stop as Skull Knight did attempt to cut off my head just a couple hours ago.)

Jack seemed to finally get himself together when he shook his head to clear it of whatever was causing him to space out in the first place. He then took a deep breath before smiling at the both of us with a lot more cheer than he had previously.

"Well well well, if it isn't my least favorite, little pervert," Jack said with so much snark in his tone he could have choked a shark. (Hehe I rhymed.)

"You're one to talk, you Ero-oji-san!" Issei bit right back with just as much snark. The action surprised me greatly as I didn't think Issei had it in him.

"What'd you say, you Ero-gaki!"

"You heard me, you Shitty Geezer!"

They stayed in a dead lock for a solid ten seconds, lightning actually flashing between their eyes anime style, before both gained large smiles, and Jack slapped Issei on the back with a bark of laughter.

"Good! You've still got some spine in ya! I was afraid you'd lost it with whatever beating you ended up in this time," Jack said with a proud look on his wrinkled, bearded face.

"Like I'd let one little beating stop me from my dream," Issei replied with a grimace as the slap to the back clearly set off all the bruises he probably had there, though the conviction in his voice held strong.

The mention of his so-called 'dream' (and I think we can all figure out what that is) made Jack grimace and slap his back much harder than before.

"Dammit you Ero-gaki, how many times have I told you to give up on that perverted little fantasy of yours!"

"Never!" Issei screamed not moments later while striking a dramatic pose. "I shall never give up my dream of being a HAREM KING-ERK!"

"I think that's enough," I ground out while my hand was clamped down on Issei's mouth to stop his screaming. It wasn't even the topic that annoyed me, just the screaming. Oh and Horus making me the _tiniest_ bit irritable at the moment by shreking along with Issei in what I now knew to be laughter.

A huff from Jack caused me to snap my attention back to him because even if he wasn't hostile at the moment that didn't change the fact he was the strongest person I've met to date, and I really shouldn't take my eyes off him."Glad to see you've finally made a friend who's willing to curb your stupid ways gaki," Jack chuckled before gaining a sly look.

"And how exactly are you planning on becoming a Harem King when you couldn't even remember your childhood friend was a girl!? I had to actually pull out the scrapbook of her in a sundress at a Sunday service just to convince you!"

"Mph mmm hmphhhh!" Issei tried to respond only for my hand to stay clamped on his face. He even attempted to pull my hand off only to fail at every turn while I barely gave any effort. My actions mainly stemmed from the fact that I now had confirmation on where Issei learned Irina was a girl.

It also made me realize; I was making waves a lot faster than I had anticipated.

Once Issei finally seemed to understand I wasn't letting go (though he didn't realize it was due to slight shock), he turned a teary eyed gaze to me. Something that had me cringing as it looked downright weird to see on a teenage guy who couldn't pull it off _at all_.

"I swear you are such a weirdo Hyoudou," I sighed while releasing him from his muted state.

"S-Screw _huff huff_ y-you," Issei huffed out while trying to get his breath back. Whoops, looks like I had covered his nose when I did that. My bad.

"Heh and here I thought you swung for the other team gaki," Jack butted in with a bark of laughter. The green that tinted Issei's cheeks seconds later only added to his laughter and for me to release a few chuckles of my own.

"Fuck both of you bastards!" Issei yelled at our amusement.

"Seriously though Issei I don't swing that way, but hey you do you man," I said, amusement clear in my tone. Issei released a groan of annoyance at our continued insults/jokes before finally straightening out. Though mutters of "I only love oppai" and "oppai for life you bastards" just made me laugh more.

"Anyways, Fall Warren this is Abbott Jack also known as the Shitty Geezer or Ero-oji-san. Ero-oji-san I brought Fall-san like you asked so I'm off," Issei said before quickly walking off to look through the aisles and in turn leaving me alone with the stupidly overpowered and retired exorcist.

A stupidly overpowered and retired exorcist who was scrutinizing my form with the keen eye of someone clearly experienced with seeing underneath the underneath. Something that was made very clear with his first words.

"So...what are your plans as far as what happened to your uncle?"

For a moment, I just stared at him trying to come up with how to even begin either asking or saying what first came to mind with his words.

Of course since my internal filter seemed to just be shitty as usual the first thing I said was, "Nothing."

_That_ clearly threw him off as he went wide eyed while staring at me with shock clear in his frame.

So I continued on with the second thing that came to mind," which version of events do you know?"

Dang that seemed to throw him even more off kilter though he was quick to get his bearings as he stared at me with narrowed eyes. Eyes that bore into my own while clearly trying to figure out just how much he could either say, or how much I already knew which is why it didn't really surprise to me when his eyes widened as he seemed to realize that _I knew what really happened._

"Masaomi-kun informed me of his relationship with Cleira-chan pretty early into their relationship," he began with a reluctant sigh. "He had told me of his suspicions that some of the higher ups in the church had found out, and that Cleira-chan thought the same for her own higher ups. This was only three days before I was informed that Cleira-chan _supposedly_ killed him but died in the end from her own injuries. Of course since I had been informed of their suspicions, I looked into it a bit, and I found out that the devils were pretty much running the same story but with a clear lack of information about how Cleira died in the end." Here he huffed in tense amusement," funny how the higher ups always try to tell us Devils are completely different from humans, and yet they came up with practically the same plan."

"More like it's sad that the so-called "people in charge" can't see the hypocrisy of it all," I drawled out with only the tiniest hints of my actual rage in my tone. Horus excluded from the cause of such emotions for once.

The amused (yet sad and _tired_ and _**ashamed**_) sigh from Jack was all I needed to know that he agreed with me.

"How exactly did you know my uncle, Abbott-san?"

Here Jack started in surprise before smiling a smile only an elder remembering something in his past could make. "I'd known Masaomi-kun from when he was a little younger than you. I was both his mentor and uncle, perhaps even father figure if I may be so bold. I watched him grow up to become a man I could proudly follow behind as my better." Here he chuckled nostalgically," that uncle of yours was easily one of the best damn swordsmen I've ever had the honor of training...of course his taste in women left much to be desired." He finished with a rueful look. He stayed silent after that with glazed over eyes as memories of the past seemed to haunt him for a minute. Eventually he seemed to be over it; however, and he turned to me with narrowed eyes as if just realizing something.

"I must admit to being surprised that you even found out the truth," Jack said with the barest hints of suspicion in his tone. A tone that told me if I didn't tell him how I found out then we were gonna be having a problem here and now.

A problem that I may not walk away from.

"Would you believe me if I said I read about what happened in a book?" I asked with as straight a face I could manage in order to not let my worry show. The fact that I even worded it that way making me tense as the fact I knew this world as a _story_ was something I planned to _**take to my grave**_.

Thankfully he seemed to think I was referring to something else, and he gave a sound of understanding before he reached under the counter and pulled out a cardboard box.

"Found one of Masaomi-kun's journals did ya? Good. That means you'll hopefully be able to read these then." Here he opened the box up to show it was full of leather bound books without titles.

Grabbing one, I opened the book and found the only thing I could understand within the text was the first page. A page that said it belonged to my uncle. The rest of the text made not a lick of sense to me, and it didn't look like any language I had ever seen. When I voiced this aloud Jack explained what exactly I was looking at.

"Damn and here I was hoping the one you read was like these," he said while clicking his tongue in annoyance before further explaining." I don't know if you're aware of this or not, but your uncle was one of the only humans on the planet who could read and write in Enochian, the language of the Angels. Apparently the baka was on a long term assignment with _Uriel_ of all Angels and asked to learn Enochian simply to strive off boredom." Here he grunted in annoyance as he glared down at the books in the box," and while he was at it he apparently learned a spell to turn _anything written_ into Enochian. Damn brat started turning books into Enochian just to mess with me sometimes," he finished with a tick mark pulsing away on his forehead.

"So...this is Enochian?" I asked/stated as I looked through the book in my hands. The words/symbols on the pages gave me a slight headache just looking at them.

"Yeah, Masaomi-kun made it a habit to write everything he wrote in Enochian in order to have extra security," here his annoyance resurfaced," which included the journal containing _**proof**_ of the higher ups trying to kill him off!"

Now that made me blink for a moment as something he said earlier didn't add up," but I thought you said he was on a long term assignment with Uriel. If he got to know one of the Four Seraphs don't you think he could have pulled some strings to make the higher ups back off? Heck he could have given the evidence to Uriel if he really had it!"

"Whoever said it was the Heavenly higher ups that ordered the attack," he replied with a tired sigh." From what backtracking I could do, the orders apparently came straight from the Vatican during a period of time when Uriel was in Heaven for a _publicly known_ assignment."

"Tch...well at least it's reassuring to know that it was human stupidity that ordered an unjustified death," I muttered while my mind raced to try and remember if this particular bit of information was ever revealed in the original story.

"No kidding. Anyways I figure that these would probably be better kept in your hands for the time being," here he pushed the box over. "I wasn't able to get any of Masaomi-kun's old equipment unfortunately, or I'd be giving you that too...oh wait there actually was something else." Here he ducked under the counter and began looking for something. It took him a solid five minutes of searching (during which time he cursed a lot and I looked over the books in the box to see if any of them were legible which they weren't) before he finally found whatever it was that he remembered.

Placing a square mahogany box on the counter, he pushed it forward for me to open. The box itself wasn't all that interesting to look at besides the cross design on the lid. Popping the box open led to me blinking in surprise at what exactly I found.

At first glance it appeared to be a small metallic book the size of my palm made of shiny silver with a thin metal chain attached at the top of the spine. The book itself only had the barest of designs with a simple cross engraved into the front and the initials M. Y. carved into the back. Actually opening the tiny book led to me staring in shock as engraved in tiny letters was the verse: Psalms 136:1.

"_Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever._" I muttered with tears starting to prick the corners of my eyes because this verse...this verse was my _uncle's favorite verse_.

"That was your uncle's favorite verse," Jack said, voicing my thoughts aloud.

"Y-Yeah," I stuttered out with a slight hitch in my voice," he always said that this was the version of God he liked best. Not the versions that tell of God's wrath, or even those that tell of his forgiveness...this simple verse that tells us that if nothing else _he is good_." I finished while having to constantly wipe away the tears that wanted to fall free.

"...I suppose that's the version of God most people forget nowadays," Jack replied after giving me a moment to calm myself. The emotion in his tone that spoke of countless men and women he knew who had forgotten this simple message ringing loud and clear.

We stayed silent for a few more minutes after that. Jack took this time to stack up some books he had on the counter while I just stared down at the little book in my hands and rubbed my fingers along its smooth surface.

Eventually Jack broke the silence," that's yours now as far as I'm concerned. Though you should know that it's not just a little trinket that your uncle wore as a reminder." At my look of confusion he continued," your uncle was a strong person Warren, and like most strong people out there, they all have a bad habit of letting their power flare up at the smallest of things." Here he leaned over the counter to show me that there was in fact a second part of the memento that could be opened up. The inside now displayed a dial of sorts that glowed a bright yellow in color.

"What you're holding is known as an Energy Suppressor. With it anyone can suppress their true level of strength to a certain extent as long as they wear it. It's mainly used to hide people who are undercover while people like your uncle use them to stop their energy from flaring up when their emotions go wild. Though in his case it was also to make sure his new girlfriend wasn't uncomfortable around him when he got to…passionate," He explained with a huff of amusement. He then went on to show me how to link it to myself (just had to drop a bit of blood on the cross on the cover) and have it suppress a certain amount of my overall power.

It was during this time that I couldn't even begin to reign in my utter glee at having a way to hide any power increases I may have. Not that it gave me an excuse to use my Unused Stat Points frivolously mind you, but it at least would help hide when my MP took a boost like with {Magic Core} evolving.

I also went about actually using {Observe} on the keepsake.

**Psalms Memento {Legacy Rare} {Item: Accessory / Mystic Code}:  
**_A memento left behind by Masaomi Yaegaki for you to have. It doubles as an Energy Suppressor that allows you to hide your true strength from friends and foes alike.  
Can hide overall magical power  
Grants +25% (LIGHT) DEF from all sources_

Psalms Memento...heh ironic I suppose.

Once Jack was done explaining the ins and outs of my new trinket, which I immediately strung along my neck, I made sure to set the Suppressor to start suppressing any power I would gain past this current point. If nothing else than because I know for a fact Koneko is watching the shop at the moment thanks to my mini-map (as I highly doubt someone would casually sit on a roof in the middle of the day), and I can only hope that the boost in stats I got last night won't be enough to tip off the devils.

I also couldn't help but smile from the feeling of warmth the silver charm gave me as it rested against my chest.

"Now with that all sorted, I suppose you'll want to take a look around?" Jack asked while discreetly pulsing his own power slightly and dropping the barrier that had been around us from his first words to me. What? Did you really think neither of us would make sure Issei heard nothing of our conversation? If Jack hadn't gone about placing up a barrier (which I should probably ask him if he can teach me), I had planned to drop both of us into an {ID: Empty}. Even if it would probably confuse Issei over where the hell we went it still would have served the same purpose.

**[WARNING!]  
[Only the one bearing the title [The Gamer] may enter IDs at this point in time.]**

Oh…well that may be an issue.

"Yeah, I had originally agreed to come here to look around after all," I said before making my way into the aisles. While looking around I also ran into Issei who appeared to be totally engrossed in a magazine (yes, it was that kind of magazine), and I couldn't stop myself from pointing something out.

"I thought you said this place didn't sell smut or porn?"

"I did! This is a _Playboy_ magazine!"

"That's the same thing Ero-gaki!"

"OI! Don't butt into other people's conversations Shitty Geezer!"

"What was that?!"

"You heard me!"

That little slice of hilarity aside (Jack ended up putting Issei in a choke hold), I did in fact find something I was _very _interested in while looking around.

**Crafting Manual: Chest-plates {Common} {Item: Skill Book}:  
**_Thanks to this Skill Book, you will gain the ability to craft Chest-plates with ease!_**  
**_Grants ability to craft Chest-plates  
Requirement: {Crafting Lv10}, WIS 20, VIT 15, END 15_

Fuck yes! I can finally craft more equipment!

Looking around a bit more, I also found three more Skill Books for grieves, gauntlets, and accessories that's requirements were within range with what stats I currently had. The real game changer; however, was when I found a Skill Book for _**Barriers**_.

And yes that is barriers, plural. Apparently absorbing this one skill book would give me access to at least 4 different Common Tier barriers: {Basic Physical Barrier}, {Basic Magic Barrier}, {Basic Avoidance Barrier}, and {Basic Silence Barrier}. Looked like I wouldn't have to ask Jack to teach me how to create that silencing barrier after all!

With one final sweep to see if I could find anything else of value, I finally walked up to the counter with a smile on my face that wasn't gonna be leaving anytime soon.

"Found some good books?" Jack asked while ringing me up only slightly raising his brow at my selection. Issei having already gone about buying the magazines he found and Dragon Quest V which I promised he could play on my "Wall of Gamer" as long as he behaved and waited until the weekend.

"Oh yes, I found some very interesting books," I said with a smile that seemed to freak Issei the fuck out if his paling face was anything to go by.

"Should I be worried about any bodies being found soon?" Jack asked with a joking tone though I think it was for Issei's sake. Not that it did him any good.

"Not any that could be found," I replied with a level of cheer in my voice that set Issei even more on edge and chuckling uneasily as he couldn't tell if I was joking or not.

"Good enough for me," Jack said with a shrug while he finished ringing me up. The overall cost of everything being around 15,000 Yen, which _**yikes**_, but still totally worth it.

Finally done with our shopping we began making our way out the door only for Jack to call out to me with a final message.

"I get it if you don't have the time or anything, but if you ever get the chance to decipher those journals let me know alright?"

**Ding! Quest Alert!  
[Language of the Angels!]  
**_Find a way to decipher your uncle's journals, and perhaps you'll find information to prove the whole truth to any who wish to hear it._  
{Objective: Find someone to teach/translate the journals}  
Rewards: 50,000 EXP, 100,000 Yen, 1 Random Tier III (LIGHT) Phantasm, 1 Super Rare (LIGHT) Item Randomizer, and Information that proves your uncle and his former lover's innocence  
**Accept / Decline**

Looking at the new pop up and back at Jack, I found myself smiling widely as I answered both requests at once.

"Leave it to me."


	5. Zone Defeated and Truth Revealed

**Prologue Arc**

**Zone Defeated and Truth Revealed**

It took a solid twenty minutes to get back to the house after I split off from Issei in order to get _even_ _more_ groceries. I had a walk-in freezer and cabinet, and I was not going to be satisfied until they were both filled enough that I could feed a small army if I had too.

Also praise be to [Inventory]! Praise!

After getting back to the house and putting away my newest batch of groceries, I went about giddily learning the new Skill Books I had bought. The rush of information as a result of which was rather painful, but thankfully the pain went away quickly enough.

Actually having access to so many new kinds of equipment was rather interesting; however, as I actually had the ability to create something called [Equipment Sets] which basically gave a Passive Buff when three or more pieces of a certain "set" were worn at the same time.

With that new piece of information in the air, I quickly went about looking through the current equipment I could make with the materials I had available. In total I found I could create up to four different [Equipment Sets] with the materials I had available. All of which would give me an overall boost in either DMG or DEF to DARK based attacks as well as a rather massive boost (at least a 25 extra stat points _just_ Passive Buff-wise) to either STR, AGI, VIT, or INT depending on the set worn.

"You know…I actually have enough to make about three of these sets," I contemplated aloud. "I wonder…hey uh [Gamer System]?"

**[Yes?]**

Blinking in slight surprise over actually getting a response, I continued on with my question. "Well I was wondering. Would it be possible for me to create a skill where I could "quick-equip" certain sets of equipment? Kinda like the Requip Magic from Fairy Tail."

When I didn't get a response for a few moments, I began to wonder if maybe I had asked too much before I was surprised by a new textbox flashing into my face.

**[Hmmm we suppose that we did set up Tutorial IV as a test of your ability to work with what you had readily available…and the idea does have some merit to it…]**

**[You know what? Sure why not, and hey we'll even give you a tip. See about trying to combine one of your Phantasms with a weapon. It is one of Trinity Tuner's abilities after all!]**

**[A new skill has been discovered thanks to a specific line of questioning!]**  
**Requip, Active {Lv: 1} {Exp: 0.0%}:  
**_Taking inspiration from one of the most badass and sexy red-heads in all of anime, you can now change your wardrobe…with magic. _**  
**_Grants access to [Equipment Sets] Sub-Tab}  
Cost: Varies per Equipment Set  
Grants {Quick-Equip} skill_

"Niiiice." Looking into the new Sub-Tab, I found that I could create templates using the equipment I had available. A little question mark in the corner also went into more detail about the new mechanic and explained that since I was pretty much using my magic to create the equipment from scratch when I used {Requip}, I pretty much had an infinite amount of said equipment. The downside; however, was that not only was I paying MP to actually use said equipment, but the equipment was also not permanent. If nothing else the equipment would last until the end of the battle, but I thankfully wouldn't have to pay anymore MP after the initial cost.

Which was fair enough really. If nothing else it would give me incentive to try and create better armor and weapons down the line.

"Now begs the question of what [Equipment Set] to make first," I muttered as I began going over the different sets and the materials I currently had available.

Looking through the sets, I decided to make the {Crossbones} set first which granted me an added 10% DARK DEF buff as well as a 25 VIT point boost thanks to the three equipment pieces that made it up. Of course there was also the regular DEF boost added in for both Physical and Magical DMG from the armor itself, so the {Crossbones} Set was probably going to be my go to set for when I wasn't sure if I could survive a hit or not. (A little morbid I know, but it's better safe than sorry.)

The next set I created was the {Joint} set which gave me an increase to DARK Physical DMG and a 25 point boost in AGI which was really important as I currently didn't have a means to increase my speed outside of {Sprint} and inventive uses of {Black Fire}. Honestly those two skills were probably the only reason I actually survived my encounters with Skull Knight with his own 50 AGI, and he could go up to 60 AGI or even higher if you consider his weapon and skill.

The final set I made was the {Cranium} set which would increase my DARK Magical DMG and DEF while also giving WIS and INT a 15 point boost each. The biggest thing of note with this set; however, was that I had enough materials left over that I could create a new accessory called Lesser Dark Medallion which was really nice as it reduced the cost of DARK based skills by 5%. Not the biggest reduction in the world, but hey every bit helps.

The only real issue I found with creating each set was that they each took a decent chunk out of my materials, and as a result I wasn't able to create the STR based set as well. Plus since I used so many of my resources I was limited on how many Basic HP Potions I could make.

**Basic Health Potion {Common} {Item: Potion}:  
**_The most basic health potion that can be made. It can be made with a plethora of different ingredients and upgraded with higher end ingredients or materials. _**  
**_Heals up to +100 HP_

With the addition of [Equipment Sets] aside, the Skill Book I gained for barriers was honestly quite fascinating if not utterly headache inducing because I didn't realize something until I actually went about absorbing the Skill Book. The barriers I was learning to create were _Magician_ style barriers. For those who don't know, Magician style magic is based almost purely around _equations_.

Now imagine what would happen if you happen to have hundreds of marginally complex (they were only Common Tier barriers after all) equations crammed into your brain all at once.

To put it bluntly I had almost gone into shock from the amount of information stuffed in my brain so suddenly and even had to go as far as to pump some Unused Stat Points into both INT and WIS so that my brain could handle it. Something I was honestly a little pissed about as I had met the requirements to learn the Skill Book stat-wise before the loss of points.

Besides that little, the only thing I really had left to do at this point was to try out the [Gamer System]'s recommendation to try and combine a Phantasm with a weapon.

"And I know just the Phantasm to use," I said with an evil chuckle as I pulled out my new Demon Blood Saber and my newest Phantasm, Skull Knight.

**Skull Knight, Tier I {Lv: 1} {Exp: 0.0%}:  
**_A Tier I Fiend Phantasm of the DARK element. This Fiend Phantasm was originally brought to life by a necromancer to act as anti-knight repellent which plays part in its bone deep hatred for european style swords. It uses its high speed and vicious sword style to wear opponents down until dealing the final blow._**  
[STR: 5] [AGI: 20] [VIT: 1]** **[END: 1]** **[INT: 1] [WIS: 1]** **[LUCK: 1]  
Unused Skill Points: 0  
Skills:  
Speed Demon, Active {Lv: 1}:  
**_They say that being fast is a crime, but this skill just doesn't seem to care._**  
**_Cost: 25 SP_**  
**_Grants +25% Movement Speed for 5 Seconds and +10 AGI for 10 seconds  
Cool Down: 10 Seconds_

"So that's how he was able to get out of the way so fast," I muttered in annoyance as I glared down at the Phantasm in my hands.

I mean don't get me wrong. I understand that Skull Knight was just doing its thing when it decided to try and fuck with me, but…honestly I was still a little pissed at it.

Which was all kinds of weird considering I could now feel it in its little niche in my head, and it could feel my irritation at it in turn.

Which made it _even weirder_ since it seemed to be really interested in trying to become "bound" to my Demon Blood Saber.

(Though after being used by Horus as a chew toy since it entered my Soul Plane, I probably shouldn't have been so surprised it wanted to gtfo.)

"Well here we go I guess," I muttered lightly as I held the blade out before me…before I then slammed the Skull Knight Phantasm into the blade while letting my golden flames (or were they soul flames, Trinity Tuner, or something else. I honestly hadn't given it all that much thought till now) surrounded the blade and Phantasm to see if perhaps that was what I was supposed to do.

I mean it felt right…I guess?

Apparently it was considering my flames seemed to condense around the blade and Phantasm being held against it thus allowing me to see a rough outline of the weapon before my flames burst outward bright enough to blind me for a few moments.

With my initial blindness gone, I went about looking at the new blade, and I found myself marginally surprised by what I saw.

Retaining its overall shape, size, and color, the biggest changes to the saber were the inclusions of what looked to be flame light designs along the blade itself that in the right light made the blade look to be ablaze. Something that was rather ironic considering the biggest addition to the blade was the literal _flaming, horned skull_ that it now had as a hand guard. For any of those curious, the flames were in fact my golden ones.

**?** **{Rank: E-} {Type: Anti-Unit} {Item: Sword / Noble Phantasm}:  
**_A Rank E-, Anti-Unit, Noble Phantasm of the DARK Element. This sword has been infused with the power of a Skull Knight and has gained a boost to its previous DARK alignment as a result._**  
**_Deals a Base 80-100 Physical (DARK) DMG and grants a +50% increase to all Physical DMG dealt to DARK aligned beings.  
Grants +35 AGI and +15 STR  
Unique Skill: {Speed Boost I}_

"…unholy shit," I whispered in shock as I stared down at the much _much_ more powerful sword in my hands when compared to the blade it had once been. The fact that I could _feel_ the new aura that the blade now held as well as the fact it was still "linked" to me in a sense just made the entire thing stranger still.

**Hidden Quest Complete!  
[Noble Phantasms: The weapons of souls!]  
**_By creating your first Noble Phantasm, you have taken your first steps toward having your own arsenal of stupidly overpowered weapons! YAH!]_  
{Objective: Create a Noble Phantasm}  
Rewards: 2,500 Exp and 50,000 Yen]

"Well that's nice!" I exclaimed happily-and there's another text box in my face.

**[Would you like to name your new Noble Phantasm?]  
[Name: _ ]**

Giving it a moment of thought, I decided to go with the tried and true tactic of KISS and keep it simple stupid.

"{Bōnseibā (Bone Saber)}," I said because yes, I was that unoriginal okay-and that's _another_ textbox in my face.

**[Good job creating your first Noble Phantasm, but we figure you want to know **_**what**_ **a Noble Phantasm is huh?]**

**[Noble Phantasms (and yes we are also unoriginal and decided to rip off the Type Moon franchise a bit so hush) are basically items you empower with souls. That is the simple answer; however, the more in-depth answer is much more complicated.]**

**[For information on Noble Phantasm go to the new Sub Tab –Noble Phantasm- in your Sacred Gear Tab.]**

'Probably be best if I went ahead and read that,' I thought while also taking a moment to stick my new weapon (or Noble Phantasm I suppose) into my [Inventory]-

"Why isn't this working," I said in irritation as Bōnseibā wouldn't go into my [Inventory]. It was like I was pushing it against a bubble or something.

**[Hint: Read the more in-depth explanation]**

'Of course,' I thought in exasperation at yet another quirk of the [Gamer System].

**[Noble Phantasms are items or skills (not just weapons) that have gained a degree of consciousness via either gaining a soul or become so well known (via stories or their own accomplishments) that they gain power from the very legends that created them. Because of this Noble Phantasms can only be used by those they accept to be their wielder/user or by the user they became famous through. (So no worries about someone being able to steal them from you.)]**

**[Noble Phantasms created through the use of Trinity Tuner are a bit different from naturally born Noble Phantasms; however, in that they are linked to the user's soul no matter what. This mainly having to do with the fact that only Phantasms currently residing in the Soul Plane can be used to create Noble Phantasms.]**

**[NOTE: As Noble Phantasms created through Trinity Tuner are soul-bound to the user, it is advised that they do not enter the users [Inventory] as doing such could sever the link between user and Noble Phantasm.]**

"Well then where the hell am I supposed to store this thing?!" I asked incredulously. "It's not like I can just carry it around everywhere!"

**[Hint: The Soul Plane can be used for storage of Noble Phantasms as they are soul-bound items.]**

"Oh…well how do I access my Soul Plane?"

The answer to that question came rather quickly as Horus went about linking up and appearing beside me almost bleeding exasperation from his frame. He then made a point of summoning upon his flames for a moment in a gesture of covering the-Oh!

"So my flames can access my Soul Plane?" I asked rhetorically as I once again covered the blade with my golden flames. Once the blade was covered I soon felt the additional weight kinda…shifting I suppose is the word for it. It was like the sword was both within the space I now recognized as my Soul Plane (aka where Horus and the others usually resided), but at the same time still existed in this reality behind the flames surrounding it.

A mere thought was all it took to finish the action to have it enter my Soul Plane and once done Horus let out a huff of approval and joined it.

It was also at that moment I came to a rather…interesting revelation.

"By Gabriel, Trinity Tuner really is a combination of Shin Megami Tensei and Type Moon mechanics isn't it," I muttered into my hands as I realized just how much my Sacred Gear seemed to be a mix-mash of powers from the different franchises.

Taking a moment to mourn the copyright issues my powers seemed to have nipping at their heels, I quickly made myself a sandwich in order to make myself feel better. Once done eating, I went over the final preparations needed before I went into the ID.

Said preparations included the creation of another Noble Phantasm via combining my revolver with the Meda Bat I got the night before in turn creating:

**Dākuai {Rank: E-} {Type: Anti-Unit} {Item: Firearm / Noble Phantasm} :  
**_A Rank E-, Anti-Unit, Noble Phantasm of the DARK Element. This revolver has been infused with the power of a Meda Bat and has gained a DARK alignment as a result as well as a vast increase to its magical potential that allows it to fire higher concentrations of magical power._**  
**_Reload Cost: 5  
Deals a Base 40-65 Magical (DARK) DMG per shot  
Grants +35 INT and +15 WIS  
Unique Skill: {Dark Blast}_

The new Noble Phantasm was definitely an improvement over my previous revolver, and that's not even getting into its new design. The gun now sporting a dark purple coloring along the barrel, and the barrel itself was now connected to the revolver portion of the gun which gave it the look of a hand-cannon. The handle had a dark green outline with a pale yellow center, and a small dot in the middle of the handle made it look like an eye was embedded within it. The final changes were a pair of bat wings acting as the sights and a dark blue key-chain like addition on the bottom of the handle that resembled a spade tail.

And yes I am once again that unoriginal in that I named the new Noble Phantasm, Dark Eye.

The new upgrade in artillery aside, the rest of my preparations were mainly focused around making sure my new [Equipment Sets] were all set up, and that I could summon from my Soul Plane with the speed as if I were using pulling it from my [Inventory], or I was using {Requip}.. The answer being yes, though the particular method was a bit flashy.

Preparations done, I looked at the time remaining until my appointment tomorrow (20 hours remained), and {Requiped} my {Cranium} set as it was the most balanced option I had available.

(And yes I also acknowledge that I tend to use magic based skills to deal with pests so shush.)

Now decked out in a tattered black overcoat with baggy sleeves, a skull on the hood, a cackling skull on the back, a pair of dark grey leather grieves adorned with bone like designs, and two fingerless gloves that went to my elbows that also had the bone motif going for it; I went about stepping into the nightmarish ID-

"BANG!"

-and promptly blasted the head off a Skull Servant that instantly appeared around the corner with a {Black Fire} enhanced bullet. (The bullet being larger which I took to be from the fact it was now a Noble Phantasm.)

"Unholy shit," I said in shock at both the fact I _one-shot_ the magic skeleton, and the fact my reflexes were good enough to do such on pure instinct...or my loathing of one of my biggest pains in the ass simply made me react without thinking.

Shaking off my shock, I began making my way to the roof tops like usual and started traversing toward my destination for hopefully the last time.

Traversing through the Undead Zone had quickly become second nature of sorts. The distance between the different buildings seemed to follow a set pattern, the number of mobs spawned down certain streets or dead ends also followed a similar layout. Then there were the seemingly random instances where I couldn't continue traveling from a higher vantage point, and I instead had to travel from ground level. During these times was when I would experience what I'd come to call Hordes, naturally occurring masses of mobs much smarter and much more organized than the random groups I would usually find.

It was these Hordes that caused me the most problems as while I _could_ simply snipe them from a distance or rain shadowy death upon them, it didn't change the fact that it would drain my MP a lot faster than simply attacking them outright would accomplish. The fact that a Horde may also contain a potential mini-boss made conserving MP that much more important as well since recovering a significant amount of MP takes time even with {Meditation} available.

Which is why I began to depend on SP based attacks instead.

"{Circle Sword}!" I cried out unleashing my newest sword skill upon the mobs I had found myself surrounded by. The technique quickly felling the surrounding Zombie Warriors (I wonder if I can petition for the name to be changed?) with a spiraling sword swing that was very reminiscent of a certain green wearing Hylian (I honestly just wanted to call it something else than the standard Spin Attack.) only with a circular {Flying Slash} being added in for even more range and damage.

**Circle Sword, Active {Lv: 7} {Exp: 21.2%}:  
**_Swinging a sword in a circle to deal with a mass of mobs has always been a staple sword skill. You've improved upon it by adding both more range and power._**  
**_Cost: 5 SP and 2 MP  
Deals 25 Magical DMG + Base Damage_

A quick breather was all I was allowed before I had to jump up in order to dodge a charging Mammoth Graveyard. The use of multiple midair {Counters} quickly returned the small volley of spells sent my way with the added bonus of a round of {Dark Shots} from Dākuai in order to make certain the magic skeletons stayed down.

Landing on the solid ground again, I quickly went about parrying attacks from the surrounding Zombie Warriors and occasional Hard Armor. Bōnseibā definitely showed its worth by being able to tear them apart with a single swing as {Flying Slashes} bled off the saber in waves with each swing.

"{Requip: Joint Set}!" I called out with the new [Equipment Set] flashing into existence over my frame. The main designs of the new armor being similar to the {Cranium Set} with the main difference being a large focus on the heavy duty metal grieves on my legs and my wizard esc overcoat being exchanged for an armored black vest with white steamers resembling bones coming off the sleeves and shoulders.

"{Rush Strike}," I intoned, letting the boosted AGI from my new [Equipment Set] and the speed boost from the skill allow me to flash forward in multiple fast strikes that tore through the nearby enemies without a hint of MP having to be used. The speed I was traveling revealed just how much a difference the [Equipment Set] made to my AGI as the nearby mobs were dead before they could even acknowledge I was beside them.

**Rush Strike, Active {Lv: 11} {Exp: 52.1%}:  
**_Speed is the name of the game. Am I right?_**  
**_Cost: 10 SP  
Deals 20 Physical DMG + Base AGI  
Grants +11 AGI when in use_

After dealing with the small group; however, it became increasingly obvious that I was going to have to resort to using magic based skills very soon if the sheer amount of mobs I just faced was any indication.

Still, three hours in, I was nearing my objective from only traveling at a fairly decent pace. From what I could tell there was only about ten miles left to go which said a lot for the progress I could make while conserving MP.

Shaking my thoughts away, I found myself nearing my destination with practically no mobs in sight which is...worrying. I find it highly unlikely that the [Gamer System] wouldn't throw at least one more major obstacle my...way...

...why hello there Murphy, I haven't seen you in a while. How ya been?

Because setting up a herd of Mammoth Graveyards, easily twenty in all along the last stretch of land before the boss is kinda dickish don't ya think?!

Biting my lip in worry, I quickly checked my remaining time, and after discovering I still had a solid 16 hours remaining I decided to simply deal with them the fastest way possible, i.e. high costing MP attacks.

"Horus prepare for {Black Meteor}," I said as I went about {Requiping} into the {Cranium} set and using {Shadow Stitching} to nail the walking fossils in place to make sure none of them escaped before I killed them all. The boosted INT and WIS from the [Equipment Set] allowing me to create easily three times the amount of "stitching" as before.

For those wondering, {Black Meteor} was the name I gave the combination attack of {Condensed Shadow Spear} and {Black Fire}. The main reason being the fact that after using the skill on the cathedral that I got Meda Bat; the resulting aftermath of the attack made it look like a meteor crash from the crater alone.

Though I had done a little experimenting after entering the ID, in that I tested to see just how much I could either condense a {Shadow Spear} or how much {Black Fire} it could handle before becoming...unstable.

The answer was quite a lot surprisingly, and I had honestly started to become worried over just how powerful the skill could become because Horus was starting to really get into using the skill from the sheer carnage it could cause.

The fact that I pretty much one shot all the Mammoth Graveyards with a single {Black Meteor} should prove a good enough example of why I'm starting to get worried. The _quarter mile wide crater_ where they had been standing just further proved my point.

Truthfully, it was only the long charge up time required to make the unregistered skill work that made me hesitant to use it in live battle. Well that and the damage I would inflict upon myself from being anywhere near the blast radius.

And really, nothing else needs to be said over that little obstacle besides the fact that it cost me over a quarter of my overall MP and a little pride over having to use such a cheap means to defeat what was probably meant to be my last obstacle before the boss.

Walking down and then up the crater in all its flaming aftermath "glory", I finally reached my destination...and it wasn't anything like I expected.

**[You are about to enter the- Tier One Boss- territory. Would you like to proceed?] {YES/NO}**

Okay...so let me set the stage.

In front of me is what could only be described as a graveyard to end all graveyards. Miles _upon __**miles**_ of gravestones and memorials were displayed in varying states of disrepair while descending down hill as if the entire area was ground zero of a _proper_ meteor. The _thousands_ of skeletons and bones of assorted sizes and styles only made the image all the more disturbing as the skeletons all seemed to be positioned as if they were trying to get away from the bottom of the incline. Though if I were in their position, I would do the same as the centerpiece of the graveyard was easily one of the creepiest things I have ever seen in this new life.

At the very center of the graveyard crater was a temple. A temple that was using an enormous rib-cage as its main supports and a giant horned skull as its entrance. Large skeletal arms, legs, and a tail spread from it with the clear indication that it had once been a massive beast. The temple itself was in disrepair as well to the point that the roof couldn't really be called such, and it had all the check marks to have it labeled a genuine ruin.

Taking a moment to think over my options, I quickly went about exiting the ID in order to go to my crafting station to make some more Health Potions. I also went over my current stats as I had finally reached level 15 and as such could only use what I now had available to work with.

**[Name: Warren Fall] **_**  
**_**[Race: Human][Gender: Male] [Age: 16]  
[Titles:] [The Gamer] [Expert Zombie Slayer] [XXX] **_**  
**_**[Sacred Gear: Trinity Tuner {Lv: 11} {Exp 61.2%}]  
[Level: 15] [Next Level: 32.7%]**

**[HP: 475/ 475] [HPR: 9.5 a Minute]  
[MP: 1,125/ 1,125] [MPR: 15.0 a Minute]  
[SP: 475/ 475] [SPR: 9.5 a Minute]**

**[STR: 22]  
[AGI: 25]  
[VIT: 19] **_  
_**[END: 19] **_  
_**[INT: 23]**_  
_**[WIS: 20]**_  
_**[LUCK: 12]**_  
_**[Unused Stat Points: 97]  
****Title:  
****[The Gamer]: **_Grants Passive Skills: {Gamer Body} and {Gamer Mind}  
_**[Expert Zombie Slayer]: **_25__% DMG to all Undead Enemies  
_**Passive Boosts:  
**({Magic Core} +550 MP and +5 MPR) **  
**

Looking over my current stats, I finally decided it..._was time_.

"Thank you Psalms Memento," I said gleefully as I started pumping up to _**77 **_Unused Stat Points into my various stats. My stats as a result gained a large boost overall and looked something like this:

**[HP: 750/ 750] [HPR: 15.0 a Minute]  
[MP: 1,550/ 1,550] [MPR: 20.0 a Minute]  
[SP: 750/ 750] [SPR: 15.0 a Minute]**

**[STR: 22] + 10 =32  
[AGI: 25] + 10 = 35  
[VIT: 19] + 11 = 30**_  
_**[END: 19] + 11 = 30**_  
_**[INT: 23] + 17 = 40**_  
_**[WIS: 20] + 10 = 30**_  
_**[LUCK: 12] + 8 = 20**_  
_**[Unused Stat Points: 20]**

"That feels so much better," I sighed in utter contentment as a knot I hadn't even realized had been in my center finally released a _lot_ of tension. Sure I probably used too many of my stat points just now, but dammit I was starting to get really sick of relying on Horus and his _monstrous_ stat boost to get me through just about every fight.

Oh yeah, Horus had finally passed the Lv20 threshold himself not that long ago (and again, no new skill unfortunately), and I was honestly starting to get nervous on just how strong Horus originally was for his stats to be as large as they are now. As in some of them were _larger _than _I currently am_!

**Horus, The Black Flame Dragon, Tier III {Lv: 20} {Exp: 21.1%}:  
**_A Tier III Phantasm of the DARK element. This Evil Dragon Phantasm is an existence originally created from the living will of Black Fire, a force of nature that takes in all the negatives of the world and burns them to nothingness. It is a spirit specializing in both close and mid-range techniques thanks to its use of Black Fire as well as the sheer endurance and power all dragons hold._**  
[STR: 37] [AGI: 29] [VIT: 45] [END: 45]** **[INT: 32] [WIS: 27]** **[LUCK: 24]**

If that doesn't explain my slight hysteria I don't know what will. Especially when you consider the fact that linking with Horus now _**more than doubled my stats.**_

Horus and his stupidly massive stat boost aside, I also decided it would be a good idea to use his newly gained Unused Skill Point on {Black Dragon Scales} this time as it would give me a much needed boost in defense. The main reason I decided to do so you ask? I could honestly blame paranoia if nothing else.

You see the biggest reason I decided now would be a good time to use my Unused Stat Points as well as boosting my base defenses as much as possible is wholly blamed on the upcoming boss fight.

And yes, obviously that is the biggest reason I am preparing so much in advance. Not doing so before a boss fight would just be stupid. So what exactly is the problem you ask?

The problem is the boss _area, _and the two scenarios it heavily leaned towards.

The first scenario entailed a boss that, while somewhat fragile, would make up for its weakness by summoning in mobs for me to fight. Really the only thing I had to base this idea on was the, let me restate this, _thousands of skeletons_ lining the crater. If that was the case, then speed and defense were going to be _critical_ as both a means to get myself out of being cornered easily or allowing me to survive long enough to get out. Having the ability to do so _without_ using MP draining skills was also very important as mob summoners were always long battles to deal with and keeping stock of my MP was going to be very important.

The second scenario was only slightly better in the fact that I would either deal with one bulky warrior or beast based enemy that would make the area of the crater necessary to contain the soon to be battlefield. The main evidence I had for this theory mainly relied upon the large skeleton that made up the central "temple", and the fact that it could very well come to life somehow. The boss in turn probably being either a tank that would just stand there and weather the hits, or a juggernaut that would slowly follow me around the graveyard while attacking any time I got too close. In either case I would need higher stats to either allow me to fight the enemy mono e mono or get me the hell out of dodge fast enough to just {Black Meteor} the thing to oblivion.

Of course I could be wrong in both scenarios, and I was going to deal with something completely different. Either way I was going to prepare as best I could in order to make sure I at least _survived_.

Those morbid thoughts aside, I closed my stats screen and I quickly went over all my equipment and weapons to make absolutely sure they were top shape for the fight to come.

Doing one last sweep of everything, I figured I was about as ready as I could be and stepped back into the ID.

**[You are about to enter the- Tier One Boss- territory. Would you like to proceed?] {YES/NO}**

Taking a deep breath, Horus flashing into existence behind me in case we had to start fighting straight away, I pressed {YES} and braced myself...

...

...nothing...really?

Slowly making my way down the incline with all my senses on high alert, I shuffled between skeletons in the off chance they would awaken if touched, and I made sure to have my Noble Phantasms at the ready for anything.

It took a solid fifteen minutes for me to make it all the way down the crater, and after I took a moment to toss some rocks into the skull born entrance to the "temple" in order to check for traps, I made my way inside. It was only when I was about halfway into the ruins that Horus gave me a heads up that something was amiss.

The inside of the temple was designed like, surprise surprise, a crypt with stone caskets and coffins lining the walls. The centerpiece of the crypt was a large, dark stone coffin easily over ten feet long and seven feet wide. Engraved with images depicting necromantic rituals and symbols, the central coffin set off all my internal sirens, and Horus made his own displeasure of the massive casket well known.

"Easy buddy," I whispered softly as Horus began to click his beak and ruffle his metallic feathers at the dark stone casket/coffin, and Horus only got louder as a slight shifting began to come from _inside_ the coffin. I stayed still for a few moments to see if the boss would exit its stone prison because obviously that's where the boss is. When it didn't, I made my way just a little bit closer-

"Krrrrrrrrrkkkkkkkkk"

-only for the stone covering the coffin to slowly slide off to the side, not quite off the casket but still open enough for one to see inside.

An action I didn't have to take as moments later a large bony hand slowly made its way out of the coffin in order to hoist up the rest of its body.

A body wrapped in familiar purple yet more regal robes.

A body easily ten feet tall and made entirely of bones.

A body practically radiating a miasma of corruption and _death_.

A body that caused me to become _**pissed the fuck off**_.

"{Observe}," I snarled out, {Black Fire} already sprouting from my frame in rhythm with each burst of rage over the fact that it _looked like a Skull Servant_.

**[King of the Skull Servants (Lv 25)] [Race: Undead Necromancer]  
[Title: Tier One Boss of the Undead] [Overlord]  
[HP: 1250/ 1250] [SP: 500/ 500] [MP: 3000/ 3000]  
[STR: 25] [AGI: 30] [VIT: 50] [END: 20] [INT: 110] [WIS: 65]** **[LUCK: 25]**

"Of course, why the fuck wouldn't it be a Skull Servant based boss!?" I roared out in tandem with Horus's own screech of rage.

The King of Skull Servants (okay fuck that long ass name, you are hereby now know as SS King) was clearly surprised by my actions as it, honest to Gabriel, _reared back_ in shock. That shock then turned into something simply _wrong_ as it then got a hold of itself in the most _bizarre_ _way possible_.

"KEKEKEKEKEKE!" By _further_ rearing back and cackling like a demented sociopath about to slaughter all the toys in a toy factory. The miasma surrounding it burst from its frame in the process and surrounded it like a cocoon before parts of the miasma filtered off and-

"Oh, are you fucking kidding me!?" Because fuck it, I called this shit!

This particular piece of shit was the fact that the miasma leaking from the SS King was _bringing the skeletons around us to life_.

"Oh how I hate skeletons," I snarled, shooting a few rounds at SS King's miasma shell only to scowl at the fact that it was in fact a barrier. Turning my scowl to the undead coming at me, I shot myself upward in order to dodge the first few spells flung my way because _obviously_ Skull Servants were what it was going to summon. Situating myself along one of the temple's "support beams" , aka a rib, I then retaliated in kind by firing off some shots, {Shadow Arrows}, and {Shadow Spears} in order to take care of all the long range attackers as per usual.

Before descending downward to face my opponent's sword to sword; however, I quickly went about changing into my newest [Equipment Set], the {Knuckle} set. A set which not only gave me a huge boost to damage dealt to DARK based beings but also greatly boosted my STR stat.

Decked out in heavy bone armor in the shape of large pauldrons, heavy duty grieves, a legitimate rib cage protecting my middle, and a bone helmet styled like a knight's helm, I jumped into the fray with all the wild nature Horus projected through our bond.

I was immediately met with a Zombie Warrior (you know what, fuck it, the name can stay at this point), and it was during out first exchange I was shown just how much a change both my boosted stats and new armor made.

Now when normally facing a Zombie Warrior, I tend to depend on quick strikes to either its spine or its skull to cripple it quickly as otherwise it would just keep fighting. The problem with this was that Zombie Warriors were usually smart enough to block such attacks via their shield or parrying the strike with their own sword thus making me have to depend on magic to get around their defenses.

So you can imagine my surprise when such a series of events occurred and instead of stopping my blow enough to allow it time to back up and reorient itself, the Zombie Warrior was instead _flung backwards_ hard enough to impact one of the rib supports and _explode on contact_.

In fact I think I surprised the other mobs as well as they all stopped in their charge forward and instead swiveled their gaze from me to the splintered pile of bones that used to be their ally and back again as if asking," did that just happen."

Not looking a gift horse in the mouth, I smiled a bloodthirsty grin that screamed of my desire to do the same to them.

Which was honestly real as I really, reallllly hated skeletons.

(And going by the wave of vicious pride coming from Horus I could only imagine he both agreed and was proud of my progress when it came to scaring the literal undead shit out of the undead.)

That little slice of hilarity aside, I quickly went about diving into their midst like a ravenous beast as I decimated their numbers like a ballistic missile. I slashed and smashed my way through their numbers like a man on a mission as I made my way towards the ringleader of this little "get together". Fortunately by doing so, I also made a rather interesting discovery.

You see each time I defeated one of the mobs trying and failing to deal even a little damage to me (the {Knuckle} set also gave a sizable Physical and Magical DEF boost plus Horus's {Black Dragon Scales} skill granted a decent boost as well); I noticed that the miasma that brought the mobs to life seemingly disappeared. Looking at the SS King I also realized that for each enemy I defeated the boss would lose a few MP.

With that realization in mind I grinned in vicious glee as I allowed {Black Fire} to start streaming off my sword swings in waves of enhanced {Flying Slashes} that took down the swarms of enemies rushing towards me like they were wheat in a field.

Horus even joined me as he partially materialized and began blasting out streams of concentrated {Dragon Breath} at any enemy that got either near me or tried to snipe me from a distance. The show of voluntary teamwork warming me oddly enough as we worked in tandem to take down the small scale zombie apocalypse.

"CRASH!" Turning away from my thoughts and instead towards the sudden sound, I grimaced as a new stream of undead soon flooded into the already packed room through a hole they had seemingly broken through one of the walls-

-and then I felt my insides freeze as I remembered the _literal __**thousands**_ of skeletons that lined the floor of the crater I was currently standing in.

Gritting my teeth at forgetting such a thing, I quickly shot myself upward like a rocket and blasted my way out of the temple. Continuing to rocket upwards I looked around the desolate battlefield and felt my stomach drop as thousands of undead were brought into a second go at life thanks to the undead boss below me.

An undead boss that I could _still_ hear cackling its cranium off.

A rage I didn't know I could achieve suddenly overtook me as I glared down at the temple that contained my enemy(prey).

An enemy(_prey_) that apparently didn't like its opponent outside of its line of sight as the roof of the temple seemingly unraveled and allowed the enemies(_prey!_) inside to see me. The big boss himself(_preypreyprey_) stared up at me from where it allowed its miasma shell to form into a cyclone of sorts around it.

The reason for showing itself was quickly revealed when the boss(**prey!**) raised its arms and charged up a massive DARK based attack...and then hundreds, possibly thousands, of Skull Servants(**PREY!**) followed its lead as they too raised their hands to the sky with a spell ready to be cast.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me," I muttered in horrified shock as I stared down at the _thousands_ of spells just waiting for a signal to be cast, and my thoughts raced to figure out how I could possibly survive such a barrage of attacks intact.

I mean seriously how was I supposed to survive something like this! How the hell was I supposed to beat an _army_?!_**(PREY!)**_

"AND WHY THE HELL DO I KEEP THINKING OF THEM AS PREY!?" I screamed in annoyance and _rage_ and _**confusion**_ and-

"**SKRRRRRR!**"

And I froze as the sound of metal screaming against metal shrieked in my ears like the enraged cry of a bird of prey. Turning slowly as a wave of intense heat and _rage_ washed over me, I turned to see a bird shaped figure wrapped within the combined golden and black flames I had come accustomed to seeing both himself and even _myself_ practically bathed in as we fought together.

"Horus," I breathed in shock as my first Phantasm took form, _true form_, from the combined flames streaming off me like a bonfire. His blood red eyes flashing with emotions so similar yet _different_ in that moment that I completely ignored the threat below and focused the entirety of my being onto him and him alone.

He seemed to take my single minded focus in stride as bursts of conflicting emotions welled up through our bond. Feelings of anger, rage, and _dissatisfaction_ were brought to the forefront as he narrowed his crimson gaze at me, and the flames around us burned brighter with a legitimate heat haze appearing in the air around us.

Yet..._yet_ there was also _sadness_ and _disappointment_ only a friend could feel for another as they failed at something they had thought they could achieve. The feeling of someone who had _**believed**_ in something they never thought they could...and was only met with frustration and _loss_ and _**failure**_.

And it was then that I realized that I had _failed_.

I had _failed_ in Horus's eyes to uphold the unspoken agreement we made upon creating our bond. The agreement we had made through gaze and understanding alone…

The agreement that I would _not back down_. Just as I had done with him. Just as I had done with every enemy before this...

Just as I had **failed to do** not moments ago when I _questioned myself_ and the odds against the _**prey**_ below us.

And so I did the only thing I could in that moment.

I gazed back at Horus in his blood colored eyes. Eyes that screamed their anger and rage at my failure. At the fact it took me this long to realize I had _**betrayed**_ the words I had never said but somehow understood when we created our bond.

And I said the only thing I _could_ say.

"**I. Will.** **Fight!**"

My voice rang through the air with the promise my words represented, nah the _**absolute fact**_ my words were meant to be as I felt something deep (oh so **deep**) inside me _finally_ snap into place.

(And for the briefest of moments my inner world, a world so young and new yet so full of **potential**, grew just the slightest bit. Grew as it _**truly**_ made a place for a being that had never known what a true home was before. A being that had only ever known carnage and the destruction that its very being could bring upon the world.)

Horus (my first Phantasm, my strongest companion, my _friend_) stared at me. His gaze seared into me with all the power of a dying star as our combined flames grew brighter and stronger as I felt the bond between us deepen as my words(my apology, my _pledge_, my _**promise**_) resonated between us so strongly that I felt _him_.

I felt _**Horus**_.

I felt his burning desire to burn the world's negatives to nothing. I felt his power over flames that could burn the corrupted and innocent alike. I felt his rage at being branded a _thing_ of evil when his powers were _him_ and not something he simply _had_ but something he simply **_was_**.

...and finally, I felt the _longing_ he held. His longing to belong in a world where negatives did not brand him _as the negatives themselves._ A world where he could _belong_.

So I did the one thing I could…

I reached out.

_**And the world exploded into black and gold flames.**_

* * *

Across that battlefield of undead prepared to lay waste to the single enemy they had ever known, to utterly annihilate the very reason they were reawakened in the first place, a ripple appeared.

A wave of confusion and _fear_ that the undead did not believe they could ever feel again arose within every undead being within the battleground of the greatest of them all. The one who gave them life to fight their single enemy.

And it was because of that one being they felt these things.

Because as the King of Skull Servants starred up into the sky with its empty eye sockets, it felt something beyond the understanding of its followers. The feelings that arose as it watched its greatest enemy seemingly explode into a _small sun_ made of black and gold flames caused every instinct that it believed it had lost upon its death to rise to the forefront. An instinct that screamed at it that it had **lost** at its moment of triumph.

And that was _unacceptable_.

It was the _**King**_. It was the greatest of all the undead, an **Overlord**; a being of death that could not die from the hands of some _mortal_. A boy not into his second decade of life that _it_ _was created to fight_ for his own _improvement_.

It refused.

It refused!

**IT REFUSED!**

So it launched the most powerful blast of impure darkness it could conjure and ordered the entirety of its followers to do the same. The flood of spells launched into the sky numbered in the thousands as bolts of lightning, car sized fireballs, icicles as long as telephone poles, and even blasts of darkness similar to its own sought their intended target.

And the only thing the King of Skull Servants could do was cackle in maniac glee as its sole enemy would soon be defeated, and it's true reign could finally begin!

...only for the small, multicolored sun in the sky to suddenly decrease in size to reveal the Overlord's enemy.

From first glance the being known as Warren Fall hadn't changed. He was still dressed in the bone armor crafted from its defeated followers that gave him the appearance of some barbarian knight, and he still held the two weapons that screamed of something _more_ to every sense the King had...

And then the King saw the _**wings**_.

At first glance it almost mistook them as large swords the size of their wielder that were simply sheathed across its enemy's back. Perhaps even something its enemy had pulled out thinking it would help it survive considering the swords seemed to be streaming the same black fire its enemy had been throwing around like party favors earlier from their bottom halves.

Then it noticed that they _moved_. The large sword-like structures revealing themselves to in fact be large, segmented, dark grey, _metal __**wings**_ that were channeling black fire from the sides pointed toward the ground like boosters off a rocket.

The Overlord was not worried; however, as even with his new wings (and the capabilities they surely granted him) the King knew it would not be enough. Its enemy would be able to dodge a couple dozen perhaps even hundreds of spells, but even he with his seemingly newfound power would not be able to stop the flood of spells flying towards him…

Yet why did the Undead Necromancer _still_ feel unease? Why did it feel as if this image of complete overkill it had rot upon a single enemy was simply _not enough_?

Why did it still feel _**FEAR**_ gazing upon the young mortal that took upon him the visage of an angel of war and death.

Then as the monsoon of spells was within yards of finally impacting their target, the King of Skull Servants saw its young enemy lower his hand, light a fire all too similar to the black flames that he had been using to defeat its followers the entire battle, and the King felt _**It**_.

_**It**_ was the **heat** that could only be compared to the foreshadowing of fire right before it incinerated its victim.

_**It**_ was the unprecedented **fear** all mortals felt upon realizing they were about to be consumed by the very flames they brought into existence.

_**It**_ was the **hunger** that all fire held within its uncontrollable nature that feasted upon anything that entered its volatile visage.

_**It was the fire that consumes all the evils in the world.**_

_**And. It. Was. Starving.**_

Then the _unholy thing _that looked like black fire held within its enemy's hand seemingly reached out to impact the first spell about to harm its creator, the King' very own spell, and the flames proceeded to _eat it_.

And those _horrifying_, **ravenous**, _**insatiable**_, _**starving**_, flames exploded forward and consumed the next spells to impact it and the next and the _next _and the _**next**_-

And with each new spell it consumed it grew and _grew_ and _**grew**_-

_**Until the sky itself was consumed by the fire.**_

The realization of what exactly its enemy had unleashed shook the King to its core. The realization that thanks to _cosmic irony_ it would soon be destroyed by the black flames that only continued to grow as they descended downward in search for more to eat after consuming and growing stronger through the King of Skull Servants' own actions.

_Anything?! Was there __**anything**_ _that could save it now?!_

All thoughts of actual victory were lost as the Undead Necromancer frantically thought and searched for _anything_ that could preserve its own life as the undead lives of its followers were wiped out within moments of contact with the ravenous flames that only _continued to grow_ as they consumed the miasma that brought its minions to life-

And the King's gaze settled upon the temple that had once housed it; that had provided the power for its _own_ rebirth. The same temple that was built using the bones of a once great beast as its base...

The King of Skull Servants could only grin (a grin once filled with sadistic glee now replaced with one that could only be described as _unhinged insanity_) as a plan quickly formed in its empty skull.

And a cackle of insanity rose forth as the flames finally descended upon its form.

* * *

"This...is easily _the most badass thing_ I have ever witnessed in my life," I said in horrified awe as I continued to watch the flames I had brought forth completely and utterly _consume_ the thousands of undead that could have killed me not moments before.

The burst of immense pride Horus sent my way was completely justified in this instance as a _fraction_ of his true power continued to feast upon the dark powers powering the army below us with all the savage hunger as a pack of ravenous sharks.

(A rather snarky portion of my mind also made the realization that I probably wasn't going to have to worry about acquiring the resources from this particular zone for quite a while.)

Still to think all this was caused by a single skill.

**Scorched Earth, Active {Lv: 1}:  
**_A powerful and deadly skill that can only be accomplished through using flames that can devour a concept, power, or emotion. This attack will continue to spread and devour anything in its path as long as there is fuel to spread its ravenous flames._**  
**_Cost: 100 MP per second (price for skill beyond initial MP cost can be paid via having attack feed off of negative energy of any source.)  
Deals 250 Magical (FIRE & DARK) DMG per second of contact._

{Scorched Earth}. A truly fitting name for such an all consuming skill.

Watching the last of the previous army of undead being consumed by my _completely overpowered_ skill, I slowly made my way downward so as to not mess up and accidentally fall to my death by moving my new wings the wrong way at the worst time.

**Wings of the Black Flame Dragon, Passive {Lv: MAX}:  
**_The wings of a dragon represent more than just a means to fly around; they represent their ability to go wherever they want, whenever they want. It represents the very freedom that all dragons are promised at birth. Through creating a true bond with Horus, The Black Flame Dragon, this new skill will allow you access to wings created via Horus's power as an imitation of his own wings.  
Grants access to the {Flight} Passive Skill.  
Max Speed when using skill is Base AGI_

To say that I could reach the ground in less than five seconds with my new wings is probably within the realm of possibilities. Unfortunately learning to actually fly without crashing into anything takes priority at the moment.

Though I was already thinking of a few tests I could perform later to measure the new capabilities my new wings could grant me.

Thoughts of future tests aside, I finally reached the ground with only a small stumble to show for my inexperience, and a quick glance around revealed not a skeleton in sight. Only harshly burned earth and literal tons of ashes remained to even paint the picture that this had once been a battlefield.

"I guess there's a straggler or two around here somewhere," I muttered in confusion as I was honestly surprised _anything_ survived the sheer **annihilation** {Scorched Earth} brought forth.

"rumble"

Blinking in surprise I glanced around in further confusion as I swore I heard something-

"Rumble"

"Okay what the hell," I said, looking around wildly as I know I heard something that time-

"RUMBLERUMBLERUMBLERUMBLERUMBLERUMBLE!"

"HOLY-!" I yelled in shock as I rocketed upward with my new wings in order to avoid whatever had been coming out of the ground from beneath me. Staring back at the ground, wondering what the hell had actually _survived_, I could only stare in unbridled shock as a completely _massive, _boney _tail _slowly pulled itself free from the earth. Tracing the tail to its base of origin, I couldn't stop myself from gaping in further shock as I watched a colossal, skeletal _beast_ pull itself from the hills of ash and burned earth it had been seemingly buried under.

The beast itself was something I could only describe as a skeletal **Godzilla** as it was clearly the skeletal remains of some kind of super dinosaur mixed with a dragon and then brought back with all the fun stuff involved with necromancy as its eyes glowed with a sickly green light and miasma streamed from its maw like smoke from a coal factory.

It was focusing on where its heart would have been that I become downright pissed; however, as hung in its chest cavity, like some kind of patchworks heart, was some kind of purple and black core of darkness that radiated miasma and death...just like a certain other undead I had the displeasure of knowing.

**[Skelesaurus (Lv 35)] [Race: Great Undead Beast]  
[Title: Secret Boss of Tier One Undead] [Zombie Kaiju]  
[HP: 4000/ 4000] [SP: 4000/ 4000] [MP: 500/ 500]  
[STR: 200] [AGI: 80] [VIT: 150] [END: 150] [INT: 20] [WIS: 20]** **[LUCK: 0]**

"Why do I have the feeling this is some kind of big "fuck you" that SS King decided to pull before it died?" I asked rhetorically as I stared at the hulking behemoth of death (_fucking_ _zombie __**kaiju**_) now staring at me. The unnatural light of death in its skull glowing like beacons from a lighthouse as it reared back and-

"**R**_O_**O**_**OA**__AA_**R**_**R**_**R**R_R_**R**_**R**_**R**R_**R**_!"

-_**roared**_ loud enough to cause hurricane force winds from the sheer pressure behind it and cause my eardrums to almost burst like sticks of dynamite. I was only lucky enough to realize what it was about to do at the last second and in turn plug my ears with both my hands and cover them in the strongest {Basic Silence Barrier} I could manage to create. Thankfully it was enough, if just barely, as I could still feel my head ringing like a church bell.

That was not enough to distract me from the ripoff kaiju now rushing toward me with all the grace of a landslide; however, and since I could now fly, it was actually rather easy to dodge the flailing titan as it attempted to eat me whole. I even went about {Requiping} the {Joint} set as a means to further increase my AGI.

Though dodging became a lot harder as the undead super lizard started to swing its tail around with very large success because while I could dodge the tail easily enough, mostly from the sheer obvious nature of the attack, that didn't stop me from being almost pulled in by the suction of the wind that the attack kicked up in its wake.

I had also been attempting to go on the offensive as I was constantly launching {Shadow Spears} and firing {Dark Shots} from Dākuai with limited success because while I was in fact dealing damage to the massive beast, the attacks themselves weren't dealing real _lasting_ damage.

Yeah, apparently the zombie kaiju had a high enough HPR to be on par with a legitimate _**regeneration**_ _**skill**_. I gotta say, watching its bones slowly meld back together after each hit was just _weird_.

No, I realized pretty early on that if I were to try and deal any significant damage then I was going to have to hit Skelesaurus in its "heart". A single well timed {Dark Blast} to its "core" being enough proof of such a claim as that single attack dealt over 100 damage.

Unfortunately one attack was all it took for Skelesaurus to realize its own, pretty glaring, weak spot, and it made it a point to deflect any attack thrown at it or simply dodge which was rather surprising at times given its massive frame.

Our "game"of cat and mouse continued in this pattern for I don't know how long, and pretty soon it became obvious that I wouldn't be able to keep up such an assault for much longer.

Fortunately I wasn't the only one getting annoyed by our little "game" as the undead kaiju attempting to kill me decided to take matters into its own hand-er claws and took another deep breath it most certainly did not need.

At first I thought it was going to attempt to roar again as a means to throw me off as it was probably the only thing the massive skeleton had been able to do that affected me. That thought left just as quickly as it arrived; however, as the miasma that was usually wafting from the undead's giant maw seemingly sucked in and condensed itself into the back of its skull.

It was at that moment I realized two things.

The first was that my original comparison to Godzilla may have been more accurate than I thought as Skelesaurus took a _very_ familiar pose.

The second was that while Horus may very well resemble, act like, and squawk in annoyance like a bird of prey at times that did not change the fact that he was a _dragon_ and like any other dragon upon witnessing another dragon attempting to release its "roar" of choice, the only course of action he could take would be to meet it in kind.

And considering the fact that I was currently hosting Horus within my soul and even linking our very souls together…

Well is there really any surprise over my next course of action.

Rearing my(our) head back in near imitation of the undead kaiju before me(us), I(we) pooled together and condensed a mass of flames into the back of my(our) throat in preparation for the largest, most powerful, and all together most _destructive_ {Dragon Breath} I(we) could create.

Though I(_**We**_) did add a little twist to it.

Truthfully what happened next I would later look back on and blame entirely on natural instincts, and Horus rubbing off on me way more than I had realized at the time.

Because there was no signal. There was no forewarning or foreshadowing that determined when the attacks were launched. It simply happened.

From the resurrected remains of a once great beast, a mass of ghoulish, green flames flooded the sky. Flames that decayed the ground beneath and further ignited the very air above as though it was breaking apart the very molecules it came into contact with.

On the other end of the spectrum the black flames that surged from **our** open maw seemingly _consumed_ the sky. The black flames blazed forth with such speed and _savagery_ that they seemed more like a pack of starved wolves looking for their next meal than actual flames.

And then the two attacks met in the middle…

And the {Scorched Earth} enhanced {Dragon Breath} continued to consume the corrupted and, most importantly of all, _negative_ energy powering the undead kaiju's flames and rushed forth to their source in short order.

It was almost anticlimactic as once the flames came into direct contact with Skelesaurus, it too was consumed by them. The cat and mouse game we had played before seeming kinda pointless really as {Scorched Earth} reduced the once terrifying and monstrous beast into simple ash within seconds.

"Those are definitely going to be used sparingly," I told myself resolutely as the sheer absolute nature of the skill honestly scared me a little if for no other reason than because the skill simply could not be controlled, and thus would not be safe to use around allies. Heck I didn't plan to use them against _enemies_ unless it was the only possible alternative.

(The pulse of honest understanding (and slight disappointment obviously) from Horus did help a great deal to solidify my snap decision.)

**[Level Up!]**

**[Level Up!]**

**[Level Up!]**

**[Level Up!]**

**[Level Up!]**

**[Level Up!]**

**[Level Up!]**

**[Level Up!]**

**[Level Up!]**

**Quest Complete!  
[Tutorial IV (Conquer The Undead Zone)!]  
**_A final tutorial to test your progress and will to fight in this new world!_  
{Objective: Complete Tutorial IV, and defeat the Tier 1 Boss of the Undead Zone in order to progress through the Instant Dungeons.}  
Rewards: 5,000 Exp, 50,000 Yen, 1 Rare Item Randomizer, 1 Random Tier II (DARK) Phantasm, and access to the rest of the Zones!  
{Bonus Objectives: +500 Exp per Bonus Objective completed}  
\- Defeat Tier One Boss in one try (**Complete!**)  
\- Raise a Phantasm to Level 20 or higher (**Complete!**)  
\- Create Two or more Noble Phantasms (**Complete!**)  
\- Create up to 10 or more new skills (**Complete!**)  
\- Force Tier One Boss to revive Secret Boss: Skelesaurus (**Complete!**)  
Bonus Rewards: 2500 Exp  
**{Secret Objective: Complete all other objectives}**  
Secret Rewards: 1 Noble Phantasm Randomizer

**[Level Up!]**

**[Level Up!]**

"Finally," I groaned tiredly as I descended downward. The shear strain of the last hour finally catching up to me so much that I pretty much crash landed and just laid there-

"Wait, it's only been an _hour_?!" I asked incredulously as I stared at my in-game clock in my status menu. Seriously, with everything that had just gone down, it had felt a hell of a lot longer than an _hour_.

Still, the fact that I was able to deal with a small scale zombie apocalyspe, the undead necromancer that brought it about, and a zombie _fucking_ _**kaiju**_ in the span of an hour was honestly baffling. The fact that I could claim to have done such while only having a few days worth of combat under my belt at all more so.

Guess that's why most consider [The Gamer] such a broken power.

"Well we don't know about that?"

'What?' Before I even had a moment to question who had just spoken, I was suddenly...well I guess the best word would be transported. That doesn't really work; however, as I'm pretty sure I didn't actually move. It was more like the space _around me_ moved.

"Yeah that's about right."

Snapping my head up (as I had still been laying down at the time), I was met with the sight of someone I had never seen before.

The person was the definition of ambiguous as they had the perfect balance of masculine yet feminine features. Their skin was dark enough to be called tan yet also light enough to be considered pale in the right light. Their hair was pure black in color which extended into a small ponytail in the back just like my own though theirs was without the bangs along the front. They were dressed in casual clothes that consisted of a pair of black jeans that did nothing to help me determine their gender; the baggy, black wool sweater not helping either. The only other things of note were the fact that the figure had elfish like pointed ears that I couldn't help but compare to a certain loli dragon god, and a pair of eyes I could only compare to a kaleidoscope. The unreal amount of different colors that appeared one second and was gone the next honestly making my head spin just looking into them.

Rising slowly in case the individual was a threat or not, I quickly went about {Observing}-

"Unholy mother of all that is GAHHH!" I roared in pain that I could only describe as a hot red poker being shoved in my brain and proceeding to _scramble it like a blender_.

"You just tried to use {Observe} didn't you? We're afraid doing such would be a...bad idea to put it mildly."

"Thanks for the warning," I growled out as my brain pulsed in pain for a few more moments before the pain thankfully receded.

"Snarky one aren't you," they responded with a smirk of careless amusement. "Though in these circumstances, we suppose it is only to be expected."

"...we?" I asked warily as I finally began to realize the individual was always speaking in plurals. I then tried focusing on Horus in order to use his higher senses to check the surroundings...only to pale as for the first time since I'd gained Hours as a Phantasm, _he wasn't there_.

"How-"

"SKRRRR!"

Jerking in shock, I snapped wide eyes upward to find the source of the cry I had become incredibly familiar with in the past few days. (And wow it hadn't even been a _week_ yet.)

Staring in unaltered shock, I watched as _Horus_ began a descent downward until he practically crash landed not a meter from me, kicking up dirt and dust in the process.

"H-Horus!" I shouted incredulously as the metallic esc Evil Dragon fluttered his way out of the dust cloud with all the grace of a sea gull on crack. That was the only thing I was able to say as not moments later he tackled me.

"W-Whoa H-Hor-gah! Horus stop that!" I shouted out as he proceeded to _peck_ at me like a Gabrial be damned _woodpecker_. His metal beak impacting my skull with all the force of a hammer repeatedly until he seemed to finally get whatever had caused such an action out of his system because he then stared me down for a moment and then-

'Dear Gabrial is Horus _preening_ me?!' I thought completely and utterly shocked and incredulous as the Evil Dragon continued to straighten my hair from the mess it had become thanks to his pecking.

Finally done with his preening (because seriously _what the fuck?!_), he finally got back off, gave a cry/bark of _contentment_, and just wandered off in a random direction seemingly done with me for the time being.

"Well well well, Horus seems to have developed a softer side. The last person who gained him as a Phantasm ended up getting third degree burns in their first meeting," the stranger commented idly as they watched Horus seemingly fascinated with the claimed change as Horus made his way to who knows where.

"Don't worry he's just exploring the new area in your Soul Plane is all," they once again commented idly-wait hold the phone.

"Soul Plane?" I questioned with a raised brow as I finished dusting myself off. At the stranger's waving hand, I actually took a look around only to be astonished with what I saw.

Plains and hills of evergreen grass were spread out as far as the eye could see with mountain ranges, rivers, lakes, plateaus, deserts, heck I swear I could even see a _glacier_ off in the distance, dotting the landscape in all of nature's wonders. Really what appeared to be a "basic starter town" in the distance that also made up the centerpiece of the land was kinda underwhelming at best and only noteworthy in the least.

"Where the hell?" I muttered in shock and awe as every time I looked in a new direction I saw something new-is that a _volcano_?!

"You're confused. That makes sense," the ambiguous stranger said with a chuckle." Like we said before this is the Soul Plane, or rather the newly unlocked Neutral Zone in _your_ Soul Plane if you wish to be specific," they finished with an amused look.

It took a solid five seconds for what they were saying to properly register, but when it did I physically reared back in shock at the implications. "Are you saying that I'm currently _inside my own soul_?!"

"Obviously," the stranger confirmed, clearly amused by my confusion and shock.

"How?" Is there really any other question to ask-actually hold on. "Wait! Firstly, who the hell are you?!"

"You've finally thought to ask us that huh?" The stranger said with an amused grin that just screamed of jackass levels of wisdom and 'nah-nah I know something you don't'.

"Now that we think about it, we've got a lot of names really, for now though we guess you could call us Chaos."

And like that my mind proceeded to sputter out and crash because _what the flying fucker's fuck_.

"What the fuck?!" Oh didn't mean to actually say that aloud.

"We suppose we shouldn't be surprised. That is the usual reaction for this kind of thing, and before you ask. Yes. We are in fact the Chaos from the Greek Pantheon. The same one that is pretty much their "Origin" slash "Creator God" if you will."

...you know I can honestly admit to never being quite this gobsmacked in my life, and I don't even really know what gobsmacked means?!

"W-What why-How?!"

"Boredom was a pretty big part of it; curiousity was a rather close second," Chaos (because seriously _**what the fuck?!**_) said with a laid back shrug, "after hearing about my fellow "Origin's" attempt to "even the playing field" as it were by creating the Sacred Gear System, we figured we'd give it a shot ourselves."

Wait a fucking minute," a-are you saying that you're the one who created Trinity Tuner?!"

"No." Chaos immediately denied, "We are saying that we were the ones who created your version of [The Gamer]. The fact you choose the path you went down that allowed you access to your Sacred Gear is simply a bonus as it has allowed us to create something...rather special," they finished with a fond look at my Soul Plane in its entirety.

"U-Unholy s-shit," I stuttered out in shock as I fell on my ass from the sheer importance of what the being before me was saying because this...this changes _everything_.

"Oh we wouldn't say that," Chaos said with an amused shrug. Though that may also be deprived from my shocked look over him clearly reading my mind.

"No, I am more so reading the changes in your soul," Chaos explained once again displaying his ability to-wait what?

"Reading my soul?"

"Well yes," Chaos commented with a smug look," reading one's mind is such a simple way of doing things. Reading the soul on the other hand is a rather interesting and extraordinary ability, no?"

Staring at the _**Primordial Being of Chaos**_ standing before me for a moment, I decided to bring the topic back on track.

"How does this not change things?" I questioned with a grimace as I could already feel a headache forming from...well the situation as a whole really.

"Well some things will change we guess," they said while scratching their head sheepishly. "For instance, we are going to be doing an "update" of sorts to your [Gamer System] that will have the interface feed off of your Sacred Gear."

For a moment, I stared at them. A wide range of questions raced through my mind as I tried to figure out what they were talking about. Eventually I narrowed down my questions to one singular question.

"Why?"

Chaos tilted their head up for a moment as they seemingly went into thought of how to answer such a simple yet complex question. Eventually a literal light bulb went off above their head, and they looked at me.

"To start explaining the hows and whys of what we did, we would first like to ask a question of our own," Chaos began and upon my hand wave to continue they did so. "Are you familiar with the term Campione?"

I frowned for a moment in thought as the word set off warning bells in my head. Finally remembering where I had heard the term before I stared incredulously at the Primordial Being as they surely weren't talking about _that_ meaning of Campione.

"I know that it means "champion" in Italian," I began a bit awkwardly before Chaos sent me a look clearly telling me to "get on with it". I grimaced slightly before continuing, "though there is also another meaning to the world back in my first life…"

"God Slayer," I said, watching the higher being before me speculatively. "It also means God Slayer."

"And you would be correct," the Primordial said, not even phased by the downright blasphemous words most other gods would have considered my words to be. "Since you have the basic idea of what the word means, can I also assume you know the means for one to become a Campione?"

Looking at Chaos confused, I thought back to what I knew of that particular series (because obviously I knew what Campione meant thanks to yet another harem shonan anime) and continued slowly as I wasn't quite sure if I remembered it entirely.

"I'm pretty sure that a goddess, Pandora I think, would adopt a person after they had killed a god. In turn she gifted that person a nigh indestructible body, vast magical reserves, and an Authority or two from the god they killed as well as the ability to take the Authorities of any other gods they killed after."

"That sounds about right," Chaos said with a somewhat distant nod as if the being was remembering something from long ago-are they blushing?

"What, no! We are not blushing?!" Chaos suddenly shouted while very clearly looking anywhere but me with red splashing across there otherwise balanced skin.

I raised my hands in a clear show of dropping the subject which the Primordial only seemed to vaguely acknowledge as they gave a grunt. Thankfully Chaos seemed to get over whatever had just happened and continued with the point they were trying to make.

"The point we are trying to make," Chaos said in a clear show of showing off his ability to "read my soul" once again, "is that a mortal does not have to actually be born to a god in order to receive their power." Here they looked at me as if waiting for me...to...

Oh dear Gabrial.

"D-Did you _adopt me_?!" I asked incredulously as I stared at Chaos in shock.

All Chaos did was shrug as if what I just claimed wasn't a big deal, but at the same time they didn't deny it which meant _what the fuck was going on?!_

"What is going on," Chaos said slowly as if speaking to a child which nearly set me off again considering what exactly we were discussing, "is that we have decided to spread a little chaos."

I stared at the _**Primordial Being of Chaos**_ for a moment before paling so much that I literally felt the color draining from my face as what exactly they just said hit me like a truck.

"And you would spread chaos...by adopting me?" I asked hesitantly and honestly a little scared at their answer.

"Well that just plays a part," Chaos said flippantly as they waved their hand back and forth in the air. "In truth we only adopted you in name alone as to give you a body that is "without limits" and "without bindings" in a sense."

Now I was getting even more confused. "What exactly does _that_ mean?"

Here Chaos gave me an indulgent look before sighing in exasperation over my not apparently understanding what the hell they were talking about.

"It means," Chaos once again said slowly yet also kindly, "that you have a body that could grow infinitely strong. A body, heart, and soul that is quite literally _unbound_ from both Fate and Destiny to the point that you could do **anything** because _you are our child_. A child born from Chaos that can walk in Chaos."

As Chaos continued talking all I could do was stare in wide eyed shock as what exactly they were saying fully registered.

Because what they were saying was that I was without human limitations. I could grow well past what my physical body should have been capable of.

They were also basically saying that plot had no hold on me. I could change things when otherwise Fate and Destiny would have either stopped me or made certain things always take place.

And with that realization made there was really only one thing I could do.

"Thank you," I said with as much sincerity and thankfulness I could push into my tone while performing a bow to the higher being before. A higher being who had _adopted me_ and allowed me to be _**free**_.

"Hey now, there's no need for that," Chaos said kindly while pulling me from my bow to pat me down before laying a hand on my shoulder. "We are honestly quite proud of how far you have come in such a short time. Especially with you reaching this point so soon."

"...this point?"

"Ah," here Chaos grew somewhat sheepish and even went as far as to scratch the back of their head," let's just say that you completing Tutorial IV was kind of a make it or break it moment."

"How so?" I was honestly confused over what they were trying to say.

"Well this world has a very intense power curve," Chaos said with a sheepish shrug." You proving that you can overcome frankly insane odds in just a matter of _days_ is honestly one of the biggest reasons we decided to reveal ourself to you now."

"Wait," I said cutting them off as I thought that over. "Are you saying that you wouldn't have revealed yourself if I hadn't completed Tutorial IV so quickly?" I asked frankly a little upset as that would have...well not necessarily been bad, but it would have made understanding everything a bit harder.

"No no no," Chaos said repeatedly, reassuring me otherwise. "We would have still revealed ourselves to you in time just…probably after you accomplished Balance Breaker or the like at the least. Though," here Chaos looked at me with undisguised interest, "that is a rather big reason we decided to reveal ourself now rather than when you fully unlocked it."

Okay now I was _really_ confused because I know I hadn't unlocked Balance Breaker yet-wait they said _fully_.

"I unlocked a portion of Balance Breaker?" I asked uncertainty as I'm pretty sure I would have remembered something like that.

"No, it's more of a one time thing really," Chaos said flippantly before their grin grew even wider," or did you really think that you gaining access to {Scorched Earth}, a skill that could only be accessed with Horus's _true_ power, was just a fluke?"

At my shocked face they laughed for a moment before their grin gained a _proud_ look to it, "You must understand the sheer _absurdity_ of what you did Warren. You see when you went about linking, _truly linking_, with Horus in his _entirety_ for even that fraction of a second; you tapped into the portion of ourself that we implanted in you to adopt you." Here their grin grew even larger and applause rang from literally nowhere. "The chaotic nature of that "spark" allowed you to do something that no other being beside ourself and other Chaos attuned beings could do."

"You overcame _causality_ Warren. You warped the fabric that makes up the Loom of Fate in such a way that you created a single moment of _**controlled chaos**_."

Chaos shook their head in complete disbelief while I was doing a very good impression of a fish, "honestly, we can't even call what you did a Balance Breaker as what you actually did was create a single moment in space/time where you could connect with Horus at his greatest peak thus granting you access to one of his most powerful skills. A skill that was absolutely _perfect_ to deal with the threat before you."

Chaos then became pensive for a moment, "perhaps we should even give it a new name as you really didn't so much "break the balance" as to say you "created a moment of chaos". Hmm...perhaps Chaos Creator would work." The Primordial continued to mutter under his breath seemingly forgetting about me for a moment.

I on the other hand was taking this moment to try and center myself from the sheer absurdity of what was being revealed to me.

I mean sure looking back on it; the moment I reached out to Horus had felt a hell of a lot deeper than anything we had done before. Even now I can remember the overwhelming nature of what Horus truly represents thrust upon my being even for that millisecond of _true_ contact.

After all Horus was born from humanity's _negative outlook_ on fire itself.

The subconscious yet conscious fear and terror that ALL of humanity felt upon witnessing the more destructive aspects of fire. The fear of the pain such an existence could inflict upon humanity.

Is it really any surprise that such an existence would be lonely?

A snort of amusement broke me from my thoughts, and I looked up to find Chaos looking at me with amusement but also of subtle pride.

"At least we can see why Horus warmed up to you so quickly," Chaos said, amusement dancing in their tone before their grin turned pensive.

"That said, as much as we hate to say it, we should get back on topic," Chaos said, though the fact that they seemed to be sad over this fact confused me a little. Chaos surprisingly enough didn't take my confusion as a sign to show off their "soul reading" and instead continued on.

"As we were saying before, we will be making your [Gamer System] be more in tune with Trinity Tuner. The main reasons for this mainly stems from the fact that your use of Chaos Creator outside of your IDs may bring unwanted attention." Chaos then grimaced and looked at me apologetically, "The fact that you're really not ready for such a level of power is another reason."

I gotta admit that I was a little insulted for a moment as their words honestly sounded like an excuse...before I remembered the completely overwhelming power {Scorched Earth} displayed as it utterly consumed an army of thousands of undead.

"That does play a part in it," Chaos admitted while once again showing off their ability to read me like a literal open book. "Another part of it stems from the fact that your very being is not ready to channel the strength of such beings yet."

At my confused look Chaos shook his head and spread out his arms to the space around us.

"This is your Soul Plane Warren. Your _inner world_. This space is you in your entirety, and thanks to Trinity Tuner, you are allowing other souls access to it. Beings of such extraordinary power and might that they could very well rip the fabric of this space apart at the seems."

Once again Chaos shook his head," Do you understand the danger you would be in if you attempted to allow admittance of a soul greater than your own? If Horus had decided you were not worthy to wield even a fraction of his true power and instead decided to consume you from the inside out."

His point made he lowered his arms and stepped up to me to place a reassuring hand on my shoulder. A shoulder that I would wholeheartedly admit to shaking as the very idea of what he was describing shook me to my core.

"Honestly you got very lucky," Chaos said with a chuckle of reassurance. "Your own accepting nature and hardheadedness were honestly perfect to gaining the mutual acceptance of a Phantasm like Horus. Good Job."

I pointedly ignored the warm feeling I got from the Primordial's praise and instead finally decided to turn back to a question I had.

"So what exactly is this "update" going to entail?"

Chaos gave me a rather amused look as if to say they knew what I was doing before answering anyways. "Well we imagine you don't want to necessarily have to explain your powers as something outside of your Sacred Gear," they began to explain before waving their hand around us in a circle. "Take your IDs for example. Those can easily be explained away as sectioned off portions of your Soul Plane that Trinity Tuner created as a means for you to train, or even as trials left behind by previous wielders of the gear. This also easily explains away your gaining new Phantasms out of seemingly nowhere as well as your gaining new items. They will simply be rewards left behind by previous wielders in order to help the next wielder."

Blinking in surprise at the well reasoned argument, I nodded in understanding before voicing up another question I had.

"So what exactly are you at the moment?" Chaos raised a brow to show their confusion so I continued, "well I honestly have a hard time believing this is what you really look like. I mean you are a Primordial Being that existed before humanity was even a thing soooo?"

Chaos blinking for a moment at question before turning thoughtful as they stared into the sky above us. Eventually they seemed to come to a conclusion as they nodded and turned back to me.

"Okay, firstly you need to become aware of just what it means to be an Origin." They said with such a serious tone that I unconsciously straightened and made sure to listen.

"Being considered an Origin is exactly what it sounds like. Origins are the who, when, where, why, and how a set concept comes into existence. Whether that Origin is based around Chaos, Order, Infinity, or anything else they are the beginning, middle, and end of what makes up that concept."

"Such an existence does come with its downsides of course," Chaos said with so much resigned sadness in their tone that I felt tears coming to my own eyes. "Origins can never be _whole, _you see. As they make up the entirety of what makes up their concept they can never be one central being. Instead we are...everything yet nothing. We make the foundations of the world and yet can never live within the world itself."

Then the sadness was stripped away like a physical thing, and Chaos' eyes glowed within a wild kaleidoscope of bright and happy colors.

"And then The Dream changed _everything_. The Dream decided that it was bored with its monotone existence and decided to become something _more_." Chaos said with an infinite number of _existences_ rolling in their voice, and they stared _at me with so many emotions in their infinitely colored eyes that I almost __**felt myself fall into insanity**__-_

"Ops! Sorry, my bad!" And suddenly I could think straight again, and the world existed beyond the unending colors it had momentarily become.

"T-That was," I said gasping for breath and trying to understand a fraction of what just happened.

"Chaos," Chaos finished my statement, sounding so griefstriken and tired in that moment that I pulled myself back to the forefront and focused on my newly adopted parent (and wow is that a weird thought).

"Look, all you really need to know for now is that the being standing before you is only a fraction of the whole. A small part of the collective unconscious that makes up "Chaos" that we placed as the "administrator" of the [Gamer System] with the added data of a semi-human conscious in order to display real emotions and ideas. That way we can guide you and answer questions you may have in a more...natural manner. So can we finish this particular question later?...Please?" Chaos finished rather hesitantly.

Staring at the fidgeting Primordial who I had a vague idea had accidentally started to pull me into its very being, I sighed tiredly and decided to accept that I wouldn't be hearing the end of this particular story for a while.

The sigh of relief Chaos gave in turn over my thoughts brought me back to "question asking mode", and what better question than one concerning my own thoughts.

"Sure I don't mind helping you learn to read souls," Chaos said before I could even voice up the question. Turning an unimpressed look at the Primordial, I gave another sigh before realizing something.

"Wait if you can read my soul then what is the point of asking my questions aloud if you know what I'm going to ask anyways?"

Chaos blinked for a moment before shrugging, "honestly, soul reading is more guesswork and inferring than anything else. Besides, technically it's the only way we could "read" you besides just talking to you. If we attempted to actually read your mind, it would require us to link our own mind to yours, and if you consider what just happened…" Chaos said trailing off.

Realizing I started to give an unconscious shudder from simply thinking about what just happened, I continued on to and ask my final question. (For the time being anyways.)

"Alright I have just one more question." Here I hesitated slightly, but after Chaos waved me on in a gesture of "go on" I sighed and decided "screw it". "Why me?"

At their confused look, I bit my lip and explained. "I mean why did you pick me to give the [Gamer System]. Heck why did you choose to _adopt me_! I was just your regular guy before so...why?"

Here Chaos blinked in surprise for a moment before their lip quirked upward into a smirk of amusement. "Let us ask you a question in return. Why _not_ you?"

I...I couldn't find any way to answer that.

"The same is true for us." I looked at the Primordial in surprise at their admission. "There really isn't any one way to say why we chose you...we just did," Chaos said with a shrug before gaining a thoughtful look. "Perhaps it was Fate or Destiny deciding to play a part in your life for the last time. Maybe it was just something about you in particular that drew us to you. It could have even been Chaos itself and not just the fraction of us before you that choose."

Leaning back, I allowed myself to truly ponder their initial question in its entirety…

...and eventually decided I didn't fucking care enough to get psychological with it. Like they said, I was chosen, and there really isn't any reason to question it at this point.

"Smart boy," Chaos said in mock condescension before chuckling at my deadpan. "Alright, in all seriousness the "update" will actually require some time to complete, so we're probably gonna put you under for," here they checked their wrist which didn't even have a watch," Ten hours." Wait what?

"Ten hours! That seems a little much don't you think?" I asked a little incredulously as that was honestly a lot longer than I originally thought it would be.

"Well we will be adding a few stop gaps in certain parts of the system in order for you not to perform a Chaos Creator before you're ready," Chaos said with a shrug. "As we will be directly tampering with your soul as a result, we figured it would be better safe than sorry."

Paling at the "what ifs" that could occur if Chaos messed up, I quickly nodded my head in agreement and added, "take as long as you need!"

"So is that it then?" I asked curiously.

Here my new adopted parent looked thoughtful before nodding at nothing," we will also be interchanging some of your more eccentric skills like {ID Create} and both {Gamer} skills to run off the new system, but otherwise we think that's about it. We should also warn you that because of how power intensive the "update" is going to be, we probably won't be able to take a physical form like this one for a while. Though if you ever have any more questions then don't be afraid to ask as we will still be able to answer you via the chat."

At my own nod, Chaos gave me one final smile before tapping into the air for a moment which I assumed caused the new pop up to appear before me.

**[The Gamer System is about to go through an update. This update will take 10 hours to complete. Are you prepared?]  
{YES/NO}**

Rolling my eyes at Chaos' attempt at humor (or I assumed was their attempt at humor anyways), I clicked {YES} and soon found myself welcoming darkness and looking forward to the new possibilities I'll have available when I awaken.


	6. Updates Complete and Meeting with Devils

Prologue Arc

Updates Complete and Meeting with Devils

**[The update for -The Gamer (Version 1.2)- is complete. Reloading -Warren Fall- in the last known location...]**

**[...]**

**[...]**

**[Reloading complete]**

Blinking away the spots in my eyes and dismissing the text boxes with a thought, I pulled myself up from where I was laying on the grass-wait what?

"Where am I?" I questioned aloud as I gazed at my surroundings...only to have the events that led to my system update hit me over the head like a sledgehammer.

Quickly looking around, I found myself laying on the side of one of the grassy hills set up in my Soul Plane. The "starter town" that I vaguely remembered seeing when I first arrived appeared to be about a solid quarter mile away.

**[Welcome Gamer to the Neutral Zone!]**

**[Within this Zone you will find the "Starter Town" as you've so eloquently called it, where you will have access to different Facilities. These Facilities will have the ability to upgrade and grow via either meeting certain requirements or simply paying for upgrades to take place. Some Facilities will be locked for the moment, and they will either be unlocked via level up or story progression.]**

**[You have -5 hours and 2 minutes- remaining until the Time Quest -An Appointment has been Set!- will end.]**

The time remaining caused me to wince as I really needed to look through my new stats, awaken my new Phantasms, and try and see what all I had available from the Starter Town. Honestly I was just thankful for the fact that the update allowed me to have a decent amount of sleep otherwise I would probably be rather cranky when I finally met with Sona. Even if I didn't really need the sleep it was still nice to do so.

**[We would recommend that you look through the update notice in your Mailbox in order to find information about the newest update.]**

Blinking in surprise (and a small amount of growing suspicion), I pulled up the new piece of mail and looked through the new information after sitting back down in order to make myself somewhat comfortable.

The changes were really a toss up in terms of good, bad, and annoying.

Firstly, it looks like what Chaos told me about combining Trinity Tuner and [The Gamer] was true. As far as I could tell a lot of my abilities were now created and run through the efforts of Trinity Tuner. This brought a whole new slew of possibilities; however, as Trinity Tuner was a _Soul based_ Sacred Gear which in turn meant I now had a new skill, {Soul Manipulation}, which was already Lv10.

(Though I also pointedly ignored the fact I also now had a {Chaos Manipulation} skill if only because it didn't have a description, and it was currently [Locked]. I could only imagine this was Chaos work, so I ignored it for now.)

Secondly, the change of having my Gamer powers based on my Sacred Gear did change them fundamentally. This unfortunately meant that while {Gamer Body} would make sure I could keep fighting if my HP was high enough; limits had to be made. These limits mainly have to do with things like eating and sleeping since {Gamer Body} was now powered by my _Soul_ and not a _concept_ like it originally was.

Thirdly, a lot of new Sub-Tabs were set up under practically every Main Tab in my [Menu]. Most of them were blacked out for the time being, but one Main Tab had been added.

**[Town: This Tab details the Facilities currently set up in your Starter Town. This interface is where you will also be able to choose new Facilities to create or upgrade.]**

So yeah that was a thing.

Besides that however the majority of the information left just spoke of new items now made available thanks to gaining access to the Starter Town, and it explained how Chaos Creator would not be made available to me until Trinity Tuner was _Lv50_ at the _minimum_.

Which honestly? Far enough.

Once I was finally done with a short preview reading of the new information, I went through looking at my new stats upon reaching Lv**26** only to discover something rather interesting when I saw that the Quest Tab was flashing.

**[You have completed the requirements for - Time Quest: An Appointment has been Set!] [Would you like to claim Rewards now?]  
{YES/NO}**

"Uhh yes please," I muttered condescendingly as I clicked {YES}.

**Quest Complete!  
[Timed Quest: An Appointment has been Set!]  
**_An appointment has been set with one of the resident devils, and you need to be prepared for anything that may happen!_  
{Objective: Complete Tutorial 4 and reach Lv20 before time is up!}  
Rewards: 7,500 EXP, 50,000 Yen, 1 Rare Item Randomizer, and 1 Random Tier II Phantasm  
{Bonus Objectives: +1 Uncommon Item Randomizer per Bonus Objective completed}  
\- Complete Time Quest before time is up (**Complete!**)  
\- Reach Lv25 before time is up (**Complete!**)  
Bonus Reward: +2 Uncommon Item Randomizers  
**{Secret Objective: Complete all other objectives}  
**\- Secret Reward: +25,000 Yen

**[Level Up!]**

"Now that's what I'm talking about," I gushed while scrolling through my new rewards as well as taking a moment to view my stat increases from my Boss fight. Surprisingly each stat gained no more than five points, but that was around a five point increase _each_.

Deciding to open the Randomizers (2 Rare and 2 Uncommon) as my first course of action, I quickly went about doing just that. The results of which were very satisfying indeed.

**MCM Ingot X 4 {Uncommon} {Item: Material}:**  
_Also known as Magic Conductive Metal Ingot, this material can be used in the creation of magic conductive weapons and equipment._

**Dragon's Gunfire {Uncommon} {Item: Skill Book}: **  
_An uncommon skill for the FIRE affinity gained from a Skill Book. The skill is based largely on a dragon's ability to shoot fireballs only improved upon by allowing the user to launch fireballs at higher velocities and from sources such as guns or cannons.  
Grants skill: {Dragon's Gunfire}  
Requirements: {FIRE Manipulation Lv15} or access to a Dragon Phantasm at Lv10 or higher.  
(NOTE: If Dragon Phantasm is chosen as a requirement then the user may only gain access to skill when Phantasm is used or until the user gains access to {FIRE Manipulation Lv15}!)_

**Medium Mana Lacrima {Rare} {Item: Mystic Code / Material}:  
**_Made from a crystallized form of pure magic, this softball sized orb is a very versatile material that can take in magical energy in order for it to be used later. It can be considered a mana storage device as a result, or it can be used as a material to grant another item the {Mana Storage} skill.  
Mana Capacity: 0 / 2500 MP  
If used as a material it will grant the newly created item the {Mana Storage II} skill._

**Phalanx Pike {Rare} {Item: Polearm / Mystic Code}:  
**_A pike enchanted by a powerful spellcaster in order to be used by spellcasters. It has the innate ability to increase the power of any spell used by the wielder.  
Deals a Base 30-40 Physical DMG  
+25% increase to all Magical DMG dealt when using pike as a focus.  
Unique Skill: {Spell Booster II}_

All in all an amazing haul as not only can I use everything I just gained (though learning to use the pike will probably just be a side project for now), the fact that I could make better armor or weapons is a very nice bonus.

That done with, I pulled up the Noble Phantasm Randomizer because I was honestly both really curious but also a little cautious about actually using it.

In fact…

"Hey Chaos?"

**[Yes?]**

Smiling a little at still being able to talk to the Primordial (and that they actually kept their promise to stick around) I asked, "when I use this Randomizer, am I going to be getting a Noble Phantasm like the ones I make, or am I going to get an _actual_ Noble Phantasm?"

**[Why don't you just try it out?]**

Anddd my good mood dropped. Staring deadpan at the text-box, I just sighed and pushed the {YES} that popped up like usual. This time I was actually met with a poker table that had a line of cards set up like tarot cards. Choosing at random, the card appeared to take up the text-box for a moment before suddenly spinning absurdly fast. Eventually it became so fast that light began to ignite from its frame until a sound like breaking glass resounded around me, and a weight fell into my palm.

**[Congratulations! You have received the Noble Phantasm - Ira Lupus!}**

**Ira Lupus {Rank: C+} {Type: Anti-Unit} {Item: Polearm / Noble Phantasm}:  
**_A Rank C+, Anti-Unit, Noble Phantasm of the EARTH Element. Originally wielded by Gareth, a Knight of the Round Table in Arthurian Legend, this cavalry lance is not the actual Noble Phantasm, but rather the lance is the physical means to use the Noble Phantasm. The Noble Phantasm itself is the complete skill and power Gareth once wielded in their past life as well as an Anti-Unit rank skill that consist of numerous consecutive strikes and one final, powerful thrust._**  
**_Weapon deals a Base 150-200 Physical DMG without use of Noble Phantasm  
Grants +50 STR and +50 AGI  
Mana Capacity: 0 / 10,000  
Grants skill: {Polearm Mastery - Masterful Lv1}  
Unique Skills: {Ira Lupus: Rampaging Maiden Wolf}, {Piercing III}, and {Mana Storage IV}_

"...what?" I whispered in complete and utter shock as I stared down at the massive cavalry lance from where it had pretty much immediately slipped from my lax fingers. The utter absurdity of the weapon innocently laying there (and given to me _for free_) honestly breaking something inside of me a little.

The weapon itself was actually a little strange looking as you wouldn't figure such an almost mechanical looking weapon to be from the time period of the Arthurian legends. I mean really; the back end of the lance pretty much looked like a mini _booster rocket_! There was another black section set into the shaft portion of the polearm that I also couldn't figure out if it was for some kind of actual purpose or pure aesthetic. The lance itself was also very unique as it seemed to contain mana crystals of some kind around its middle while being surrounded in white and gold metal with the actual pointed portion being a grayish metal and almost shaped to look like-

"Wait a minute," I muttered as I picked the lance up once again. I was surprised for a moment as I seemingly gained immediate knowledge of how to hold the weapon as well as how to actually use it, but I figured that came with the {Polearm Mastery - Masterful}. Actually focusing on the weapon in my hands, I considered the {Mana Storage IV} skill it had and decided to see what exactly that meant, so I began pushing mana into the lance-

"Now we're getting somewhere," I said happily as the crystals surrounding the lance's top half began to glow a bit as I pumped a good amount of MP into it. Though I became rather surprised when a new series of information soon made its way into my brain, and I pushed mana into the lance in just the right way.

"Oh fuck yes," I said savagely as the pointed portion of the spear began to spin like a drill with blue arcs of magic streaming off it, and mana began to drain first from the Noble Phantasm's own Mana supply and then my own when I continued to power the lance/drill for a solid minute.

"This is going to be fun to use," I chirped happily as I placed the spear on my shoulder almost like it was the most natural thing to do in the world. A quick check also verified the fact that I didn't actually have to use the Soul Plane method to store the polearm, and instead I could place it in my [Inventory] like any other non-soulbound item.

Stepping away from the subject of overpowered lances and their absurd level of ease to use, I decided it was rightfully time to awaken a couple of new Phantasms.

The first of which was the Tier II (DARK) Randomizer as I was more used to dealing with DARK based Phantasms at this point, and if nothing else I could just get Horus over here to "play" with the new Phantasm while I'm busy with the other one.

The small black "lost soul" that exited my chest was about the same as usual, and just as I did previously when awakening Horus, I stared at the soul and _looked_.

I focused on the black flames that flickered gently. I watched as they slowly shifted to an assortment of tans and dark greys.

I focused on the gentle feel its flames gave off. The almost tired, and dare I say _calm_, nature it seemed to hold that was so unlike Horus or any other Phantasm before it.

I focused as the flames soon began taking a new form. The flames grew outwards into what appeared to be limbs and a humanoid form. A tan mantle streaming off its form in tattered ends, yet at the same time showing the experiences it had been through. Then a long shaft appeared for a moment. An almost tribal looking staff taking form with the capped head of a skeletal bird. Finally a head of black hair appeared, the flames still present making it impossible to truly see the individual's face yet somehow still conveyed a gentleness that the soul carried in its entirety.

It was as the flames receded for a moment; however, a single second the flames spread just thin enough that a pair of pure black eyes appeared. Eyes so dark in color, yet able to portray such emotion snapping me into true focus as I realized something.

I knew _who_ this Phantasm was.

_I knew __**his**_ _name._

"_**Awaken**_," I intoned, the words echoing in my own ears and the _Boundless Plains_ around me," _**Dharc, The Dark Charmer**__!"_

And from the now tan and dark grey flames, a staff first appeared. The same tribal like staff capped with the skull of some bird yet also the horns of a beast. The arms holding the staff appeared next from where they were wrapped in white wrappings and a shackle of all things attached to its wrist. The tan mantle I had seen before taking larger shape as Dharc's entire body finally pushed its way through the flames and entered the world. The Phantasm taking the form of an older teen possibly 17 or older.

Black hair and eyes decorated a pale and calm face as Dharc blinked for a moment as if reorienting himself before he began to gaze around his surroundings in surprise and curiosity.

Personally I was experiencing surprise myself as I had honestly not been expecting to get such a humoniond Phantasm. Especially one seemingly so young.

Finally Dharc seemed to finish taking in his surroundings and instead focused on me. Something in his black eyes lit up at spotting me, and he surprised me by waving good naturedly. A gesture I returned with a smile before I went to speak.

I was thus surprised when Dharc shook his head rapidly before I could even speak up, and he made as if to say something; however, no sound came out.

Realizing what he was saying (or rather not saying), I nodded to him and followed my instincts.

Golden flames leapt into the space between us. Never getting to close yet at the same time simply floating in the air ready to accept the new Phantasm if he would have me.

A good natured, silent chuckle was all I got in reply before black, tan, and dark grey flames leapt into existence as well, and they meant my own.

The two flames mingled in the air for a moment as if testing the waters and the other for something that cannot be put into words. Finally an "agreement" seemed to be reached, and my own golden flames took in another flame into its own like a friend welcoming another.

When the last flare of flames was converted, I could feel it as a place was made for the once lost soul before me. The calm and tired (but also happy and joyful) emotions coming through the bond making me smile in happiness as well. A smile Dharc returned as he closed his eyes and sighed content as he seemingly basked in my inner world as a whole instead of just as a bystander as he had before.

Letting my new Phantasm have a moment to continue his basking, I pulled up the new information I had on Dharc. What I found did not disappoint.

**Dharc, The Dark Charmer, Tier II {Lv: 1} {Exp: 0.0%}:  
**_A Tier II Phantasm of the DARK element. This Spellcaster Phantasm was once a member of a family of "charmers" who gained great esteem for their creation of the familiar system as well as their ease at using their chosen element._**  
[STR: 5] [AGI: 5] [VIT: 10] [END: 10] [INT: 25] [WIS: 25]** **[LUCK: 10]  
Unused Skill Points: 0  
Skills:  
Darkness Manipulation, Passive {Lv: 1}:  
**_Like all members of Dharc's family, he has gained great mastery over his chosen element. By using him in combat you gain his affinity for the dark arts.  
Grants skill: {DARK Manipulation} and if the user already has {DARK Manipulation} then their skill level is increased by 20 as long as Dharc is Active.  
Grants a 20% decrease in MP cost for DARK skills._

**Summon Familiar - DARK, Active {Lv: 1}:  
**_Like all members of Dharc's family, he has an innate ability in work revolving around familiars. You now have gained one of the most basic skills his family has as a result: Summon Familiar.  
Cost: 50-500 MP depending on strength of familiar you wish to summon  
Summons a DARK familiar of considerable strength based on how much MP is used._

"Not bad," I said appreciatively while nodding at Dharc who had taken the time to wander over and look at the screen himself. I had been a little surprised at first but quickly got over it in order to continue reading.

I was surprised; however, when in the middle of Dharc giving me a nod in return he just froze in place. His already pale skin going pasty white in color and his pupils shrinking to the size of pinpricks.

"Skrrrrrr." Oh that explained it...shit.

Turning slowly, I soon found myself being stared down by Horus as he stacked towards us with battle-lust blazing in the air around him like a heat haze. Actually, correction, his bloody red eyes were focused entirely on _Dharc_ who had taken my action of looking away as a suitable reason to hide behind me.

Feeling Horus's growing battle and blood lust through our bond (also it is just now occurring to me that I can feel Horus once again. I think I vaguely remember the update saying something about allowing access to my links while in the Soul Plane.), I quickly sent as many feelings of calm and serenity through both bonds as possible in order to try and make them both calm down. When Horus seemed to try and not pay attention to the bond; however, I scowled and glared at him.

"Horus this is our new friend, so I would greatly appreciate it if you stopped wanting to fight him," I said, lacing my words with authority in order to try and get through the haze of battle-lust I knew Horus had let himself fall into. Thankfully my words seemed to snap him out of it as not moments later I felt him back off through our bond, and he ended his stack forward.

Though that didn't stop him from finding some way to making a scoffing sound from his metallic beak and sit down with a huff in a clear case of sulking-

"Yes you are sulking, so don't scowl at me mister," I scolded him as he turned back to me to initiate said action. A tug on my sleeve had me turning; however, and I met the astonished and almost reverent eyes of my newest Phantasm as he repeatedly turned from Horus and I.

Chuckling at his actions I gestured to my first Phantasm," Dharc, I would like you to meet my first Phantasm and friend, Horus, The Black Flame Dragon. Horus this is our new friend, Dharc, so you will _not_ use him as a new chew toy." The pointed look I sent Horus was just met with a huff as he continued to try and settle himself down in the grass-anddd he burned the grass. Perfect.

Sighing in (amused) exasperation, I turned to both of them with a raised brow.

"I'm about to awaken a another Phantasm if you both want to watch," I said glancing from the dark charmer to the imposing dragon, "though if you decide to stay I ask that you don't interrupt me or _attack the new Phantasm_," I finished while staring directly at Horus. He obviously knew my words were meant for him as he huffed in annoyance, but didn't move to fly away which I took as him wanting to watch. Dharc at least seemed to be openly curious if what I was both seeing and feeling was anything to go by as he motioned for me to go on rather eagerly.

Chuckling at their antics, I pulled up the Tier II Randomizer and started the awakening process once again. Unlike the both of them; however, the lost soul was not one solid color depicting its base affinity. Instead the soul was like a rainbow morphed into a flame the size of a soft ball.

Focusing on the lost soul, I began the process of awakening it-

**[Luck Check Occured!]  
[Tier II Randomizer has evolved into a Tier III Randomizer!]**

"..._are you kidding me?!" _I hissed out in incredulous denial before I had to quickly focus once again on the lost soul as it seemingly grew to the size of a beach ball and began to leak out flames at an accelerated rate.

So I once again focused and found the flames snapping about quickly and swiftly in the wind. Almost slashing itself to pieces as the flames became more frantic. Flashes of bright steel making themselves known along the edges.

I focused on the masses shaping themselves from the flames. Dark blues and silvers flashed out and almost hardened in their intensity to form what looked like armor. The dark blue flames framed by the silver along the middle and bottom. A streak of silver and black revealed some kind of bladed helmet covering orange hair of all things while another longer streak of silver and black revealed a spiked blade held within the beings grasp.

I focused and found that while the helmet it wore seemed to cover one eye like a clunky monocle that didn't hide its bloody colored eye that stared out from an almost childish face.

It was within that blood red gaze so much like Horus's own yet so _different_ as its entire being seemingly radiated peace and..._**silence**_.

And suddenly I realized it.

I knew _who_ this Phantasm was.

_I knew __**his**_ _name._

"_**Awaken**_," I intoned, the word echoing out once more in a wave of power and command," _**Silent Swordsman**__!"_

For a moment all was still as the words echoed outward and the lost soul burned bright…

And then a large, spiked sword burst from the now silver, black, and dark blue flames in an explosion of soul fire. The sword then slashed apart the flames holding it in place, and a figure decked out in a dark blue and silver trim overcoat stepped forward. The figure itself was surprisingly rather small at only five feet tall even with the addition to its metal, bladed helmet with its attached monocle hiding one of the Phantasm's eyes. I was actually a little surprised to note that the figure's skin was a light green in color that only slightly clashed with its, kill me orange, hair. The small swordsman was also rather young looking, almost prepubescent in both size and face. Though his young looks were slightly offset by the red lightning shaped tattoos running down from his blood red eye staring at me from where he was standing with his rather large sword leaned on his shoulder in a relaxed grip.

The smaller swordsman stared at me for a moment as if measuring me with his glance alone. The action caused me to have a small flashback to Horus and his own initial reaction to awakening though Silent Swordsman didn't have nearly as much animosity in his gaze.

Rather it was simply a measuring look with no judgement in its gaze. It was almost curious really though not as innocent as Dharc's own had been. It was quite simply the look of a swordsman analyzing a potential ally or enemy.

And so I returned the action by gazing at Silent Swordsman as an equal with clear skill if the relaxed, yet also very clear sword stance, was any indication. A style that my own limited knowledge led me to believe he focused on sweeping strikes mixed with overhead slashes when trying to get through an enemies guard. The spikes along his sword weighed into the possibility as well.

Surprisingly my analysis seemed to garner enough of Silent Swordsman's attention to consider me with a respectful look, and soon enough the familiar sight of my flames accepting his own played in the air between us.

The bonding process over with, I released a small breath as I felt the sturdy and silent (yet _swift_ and _sharp_) presence settle itself into his (and another guy cool) own little space within my mind and soul.

"Welcome aboard Silent Swordsman," I said, offering my hand in a shake. One he reciprocated firmly before blinking a few times and tilting his head to the side as Dharc made his way over to perform his own welcoming handshake.

"I suppose introductions are in order," I said with a chuckle. "Silent Swordsman, I'd like you to meet Dharc, The Dark Charmer, and Horus, The Black Flame Dragon."

Silent Swordsman (yeah we're gonna have to get him a smaller nickname or something) returned Dharc's handshake politely and gave a stiff nod to Horus which was honestly to be expected since Horus is technically an Evil Dragon. Though Horus didn't seem to be impressed as he gave a huff that I was coming to consider his version of a scoff. Something I noticed earned Horus a narrowed eye from our new swordsman and made me come to realize that some kind of fight was probably gonna happen in the not so far off future.

So I decided to nip this particular issue in the bud.

"As long as there is no maiming or killing, I'm fine if you both want to try and beat the shit out of each other," I said tiredly while waving at the Tier III Phantasms that were staring each other down and tensing in preparation for battle. The vicious and interested (you can probably figure which is which) glances sent my way were the only warnings I got before Horus rushed as the smaller swordsman in a burst of black fire. Thankfully Silent Swordsman proved he was in fact deserving of his Tier III status as he rushed forward to meet Horus in a flash of sharpened steel and howling winds from the force of his kick off.

Heaving a long-suffering sigh, I watched the two Phantasms collide in a crash of steel and fire. Deciding to take care of something really quick, I motioned to Dharc that I was going to walk away for a moment. He was obviously more interested in the slap fight not fifty feet from us, which I completely understood, but he still at least had the decency to make a motion of his own to acknowledge my words.

So walking a good ways away from the quarreling Phantasms, I quickly came to a stop on the other side of a nearby hill...and started cursing out Chaos in some not so nice words.

(I only barely noticed Chaos making a text-box containing a sweatdrop emoji beside me.)

The following five minutes pretty much consisted of me cursing out my newly adopted parent for never telling me that Randomizers could "evolve" into higher tiers via the LUCK stat, and that he had effectively screwed me out of multiple chances to get higher tier weapons or Phantasms.

His response was to send me a message pretty much saying, "**[You never asked.]**"

Thankfully he did admit in the end to being slightly in the wrong for never explaining such a mechanic and gave me five free LUCK points.

In the end I decided to just take it, and I walked back over to the rather impressive display of Silent Swordsman and Horus playing a frantic tennis match with a car size {Black Fireball}. I also took this time to look through Silent Swordsman's information with Dharc who had decided to join me at a safer distance.

(His slightly smoking and cut up mantle was all I needed to see in order to know why exactly he made that decision.)

**Silent Swordsman, Tier III {Lv: 1} {Exp: 0.0%}:  
**_A Tier III Phantasm of the LIGHT Element. The origins of this Warrior Phantasm are unknown to all that met him in life in part due to his inability to actually speak. His mutism played a large part in his most well known title of "Silent Swordsman" with his legendary sword skills only backing up his undisputed title of "Swordsman". It is believed; however, that he is the half-son of a spirit of some kind as a means to try and explain his green skin and orange hair._**  
[STR: 15] [AGI: 25] [VIT: 10] [END: 10] [INT: 5] [WIS: 5]** **[LUCK: 5]  
Unused Skill Points: 0  
Skills:  
Silent Sword Arts, Passive (Lv: 1):  
**_Through his experiences in life, Silent Swordsman has become a master level swordsman with any kind of sword. When in combat together you can bring these once lost arts into the world anew!  
Grants {Sword Mastery - Expert Lv10}  
Decreases MP and SP cost for all skills involving a sword by 20%  
Increases learning rate of all sword based skills by 20% when in Active Roster_

**Silent Sword Slash, Active (Lv: 1):  
**_Considered one of Silent Swordsman's most versatile skills, this slashing technique grants an anti-magic property to any attack the user performs with a sword.  
Cost: 10 MP and 10 SP  
Adds +25 Physical DMG to any sword skill use in conjunction with it  
Unique Skill: {Anti-Magic I}_

**Magic Resistance D, Passive (Lv: 1)  
**_Through unknown means Silent Swordsman was said to have the ability to shrug off basic magic of any element with ease. Many believe this grants credit to the theory that the swordsman is the half-blood as spirits are said to have natural magic resistance.  
Grants 25% DEF resistance from all magical sources.  
Grants __**complete immunity**_ _to any magic ranked lower than Uncommon in rarity. _

"Unholy shit biscuits," I muttered as I stared at my Phantasm's skills because _all of them_ were going to be incredibly useful. Especially the {Magic Resistance} as having a _complete immunity_ to any magic below Rare in rarity was quite frankly broken as fuck considering almost all my own skills were either Uncommon or Common in rarity. Heck, the only skill I could think of with a higher rarity off the top of my head was {Counter}, and it was only considered a Rare level skill.

I've said it before, and I will say it again. Phantasms are **OP as fuck**.

Something that was made even more obvious when Silent Swordsman (really need to think of a shorter name for him) crashed not ten feet from us and created a small crater upon impact. Not showing any damage or fatigue, he then proceeded to get right back up to launch himself at the roaring force that was Horus going full tilt in a full body coating of {Black Fire}.

"Manics," I chuckled indulgently at the two, well, manics.

Their little slap fest aside, I looked back at the Phantasm Tab only to notice that Horus's information Tab was blinking. Quirking a brow in confusion, I clicked the Tab only to be surprised by a new interface when it listed Horus's skills. This new interface surprised me further as it not only listed the "skills" I had created with Horus (aka {Black Meteor},{Black Fire Breath}, {Nova},etc.}), but it also separated the skills by naming them either Natural or Created skills.

I was quick to note the pop up that Chaos sent me that informed me that Created skills took almost _three times_ as much Exp to level up compared to regular skills as they leveled up like regular skills instead of needing Unused Skill Points since they were powered by Horus's Natural skills. (Was that a run on sentence?) This was thankfully offset by the fact that I could use Unused Skill Points to level them up by up to 10 levels with a single point.

Blinking in confusion as Dharc tried to get my attention, he pointed rather frantically to where Silent Swordsman and Horus were fighting-

"Oh for fucks sake," I muttered around the hand I had face palmed with. The cause of my action being plain to see as Silent Swordsman and Horus had begun to really get into their pissing match if the _utterly massive_ {Flying Slash} and {Black Fire} _condensed_ {Dragon Breath} were anything to go by.

"Alright I think that's enough," I said with a strained smile before I flared my soul flames to the point that I looked like a large bonfire. Thankfully my quick actions were enough to get the two Tier III Phantasm's attention…

In the worst way possible as they instead launched their attacks at _**me**_.

"{COUNTER}!" I down right _screamed_ as I launched my fists forward to impact the two attacks. The swordsman and Evil Dragon quickly getting the hell out of dodge in order to avoid the attacks sent back at them at over twice their original speed and strength.

I on the other hand had to quickly pull out a Health Potion in order to heal the first degree burns and cuts on my hands from using my bare fist to {Counter} the attacks. Thankfully I had learned pouring the potion directly on the injury did a rather good job of healing the injury quicker than if I simply drank it.

Tapping my foot rather in irritation, I waited only semi-patiently as the swordsman and Evil Dragon made their way back to us. Silent Swordsman at least seemed to be sheepish over attacking me on accident while Horus just looked annoyed...which was his usual expression so not all that different than usual actually.

"Have you two got that out of your systems?" I asked with a raised brow while pointedly ignoring the fact they attacked me. Thankfully I was met with nods from both. Even if they were in different "tones" as Silent Swordsman was still sheepish while Horus just continued to be his grumpy self.

Though I did note rather happily that they were sending the other semi-respectful looks at the least, Horus even going as far as to give Silent Swordsman a small nod of acknowledgement.

"Well now that our little getting to know ya portion of the evening is over with-wait it's morning isn't it?" I asked myself before looking in my interface to find it was in fact morning. "Anyways with that all over with, would you guys like to explore the town with me?" I asked while gesturing to the town a ways away.

Horus was the first to respond by giving a scoff and then flying off which I honestly expected from him. Dharc and Silent Swordsman at least seemed interested in exploring with me so that was something at least.

"So Silent Swordsman, I gotta admit that was pretty impressive back there," I started off as we made our way towards the town. Dharc nodded his own agreement from beside us with a thumbs up.

When Silent Swordsman tried to wave off my praise; however, I snorted in a show of disbelief. "I'm serious man. You fought _Horus_ as an _equal_. Horus who is a _dragon_ as in one of the strongest races to _exist_. At this point, I very much doubt I could do the same," I admitted easily. Silent Swordsman seemed to surprisingly be the easily embarrassed type as was shown when his green skin gained a bit of a bluish tint along his cheeks, and he scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

Deciding to give the guy some slack, I decided to comment one of the first thoughts I had upon watching him fight earlier. "You know I could actually use someone competent to spar with," I said pulling out Bōnseibā. "Fighting Zombie Warriors is all well and good, and the few swordsmen I have fought were more interested in killing me than actually helping me get better. I'm honestly starting to hit a roadblock on my training." I finished with a grimace.

And yeah hadn't that been a bit of setback considering I still hadn't leveled up {Sword Mastery} or {Firearm Mastery} past their first iterations. After all, even though I had become competent enough with a sword to at least not cut myself by accident that didn't change the fact that my {Mastery} skills weren't going to level up unless I actually gained _proficiency_ with my weapons. In fact the only reason {Sword Mastery} was even Lv17 at all was completely tied into the fact that using skills pertaining to a certain Passive Skill actually helped it gain Exp.

Back to Silent Swordsman, he seemed to consider my request for a moment before nodding at the apparent thought of training with me. Dharc then surprised both of us as he waved his hand to get our attention, pointed to himself, and then created a small ball of darkness that he also pointed to.

"You'd be willing to help me as well?" I asked the dark charmer a little surprised. At his nod I could only smile and accept rather happily as someone tutoring me in magic would definitely help.

Turning back to Silent Swordsman, I decided to finally bring up the idea of a nickname for him. He was surprised by the question at first, but after a moment of thinking it over he nodded his consent.

The next five minutes the three of us "talked" over possible nicknames. At first we attempted to take influence from different languages or cultures and ended up with some rather interesting results as most languages that had words related with 'quiet' or 'silence' were adjectives and thus not the best result for an actual name. Silent Swordsman quickly dispelled the idea that we had to over complicate it; however, and eventually we all decided to follow the KISS method and simply call him Silent.

Finally arriving at the Starter Town, we were met with what could only be called a ghost town. There was no one walking the stone walkways and practically every building stationed along the main town road was empty. In fact the town really just seemed focused along the main roadways as it seemed to be split along four sections via a crossroad. The buildings themselves were rather unique; however, as each one seemed to hold some actual purpose with many of them either following a modern, old, or mixed design.

The first of note was the Farmer's Market which, wouldn't ya guessed it, was an old fashioned farmers market that fed into both a nearby meat and fish market. Different foods of all styles, orientations, and ethnicity decorated the market place, and I practically salivated as I thought of all the dishes I could make with this variety available anytime I wanted.

The second building was the Blacksmith Shop which was designed much like one would figure an 18th century forge would look like. Well the back half of the store, which was separated from the front via a legit brick wall, appeared to be such while the front half of the store was more so a business as it had displays for different weapons and armor.

The third building was the Clothing Shop which was really your typical, modern clothing store. The only thing of real note was that the shop also sold materials pertaining to cloth and string. Both of which apparently helped influence the stats certain equipment could gain. An example of this would be using a piece of Magic Saturated Cloth instead of just Regular Cloth as using the Magic Saturated Cloth would grant any equipment made with it a greater increase to magic based stats. Something I hadn't even been aware of when using it to create my current [Equipment Sets]. The more you learn I suppose.

The fourth building was the Potion Shop which reminded me greatly of what one would picture a modern day witch's brewery would look like. Chemistry sets decorated various walls, cauldrons lined others, and hundreds upon hundreds of glass jars and bottles containing materials and ingredients decorated the back wall of the store from where they were set behind the store's counter.

The fifth building; however, was one of the most unique as it looked almost like a cross between a modern day library and a 19th century clock tower which was attached to the top. This quite obviously being the Library.

Actually making my way inside; however, led to me practically choking on air as the front half of the shop appeared to be rather understocked as it only had probably a hundred or more books actually lining the various bookshelves in an almost sporadic manner. The back half of the store on the other hand was separated from the front half of the store by a wall to wall metal fence with no means for me to get through. The area beyond the fence was the main source of my initial reaction; however, as the space beyond the fence seemingly _did not end_.

It honestly reminded me of those tropes you see in anime where the main characters discover an impossibly large library that is filled with an almost infinite number of books...though this time it was happening to me.

Heck both Silent and Dharc, who were still exploring with me, flat out face-faulted at the sheer absurdity we were looking at.

So obviously this would be the perfect time for a text box to fly into my face.

**[Welcome to the Library!]  
[As you may have noticed the Library is rather unique, what with the massive amount of information seemingly not accessible to you and all. In truth this library is actually filled with information that is and isn't yet accessible to you.]  
[The Front Half of the store is filled with information pertaining to things you have already discovered. Examples being information about your various Phantasms and their history, or information about different items you have discovered like weapons or materials.]  
[The Back Half of the stores on the other hand is information pertaining to things you have not yet discovered. Examples being information about Phantasms not yet available to you, magics you don't yet know, or even more specific info about the different factions.]  
[The information within the Back Half of the Library is not completely inaccessible; however, and the information can in fact be bought from the front counter.]  
[It should be NOTED; however, that the level of the facility itself will determine what level of rarity certain books will be able to be bought, so keep that in mind.]**

Overall the Library was definitely going to be one of, if not _the_ most important facilities I currently had. Especially after Dharc agreed to look through the books currently available in an effort to organize everything.

(We checked, and my Phantasms could in fact write down information which was definitely going to help with the communication issue. Feeling bursts of emotions was alright sure, but nothing beat actual communication.)

My look through the Library over with, I continued through the town to discover many other shops such as the Accessory Shop which contained charms, necklaces, and even key-chains which could be added to weapons to give them small stat increases or even extra elemental affinities. Though apparently the latter only occurred with the more high end key-chains which I could not currently buy.

There was also the Gardening Shop which had both regular and magical plants, and it even had a space set beside it to actually plant the things I bought. There was the Vehicle Shop which sold legitimate vehicles such as cars, motorcycles, or regular bikes, and also had a dual function as a place to buy tools. Heck, there was even a _Toy Store_ which held a wide array of regular to magical toys. (It actually had that Exploding Snaps game from Harry Potter!)

I was a little disappointed to find that while the different stores did offer new equipment and materials; they were only Common in rarity. Looking through my [Town] Tab, I found a solution where I could pay for the different stores to be upgraded. Doing just that I upgraded the Blacksmith, Potion, Clothing, and Accessory Shops to Tier II and the Library all the way up to Tier III which a prompt confirmed would allow me access to Uncommon level equipment and materials, and the Library also providing a small assortment _Rare_ books.

(The total cost was a little over **100,000** Yen though which _**yikes!**_)

With this increase in rarity, I actually went about quickly looking over the new equipment to see if there were any decent [Equipment Sets]. Unfortunately the only ones of real note were the sets dealing with the {Knight Series} which, you guessed it, was mainly focused around medieval designed, metal armor. With the large expenditure of upgrading all my shops; however, I decided to save actually buying any new equipment for the time being.

New equipment aside, I also found that I gained access to, dunt dunt daaa, MP and SP Potions! Well **Basic** Mana and Stamina Potions but still! The fact that I could now buy and even craft them myself by buying the needed materials for cheap was amazing. Especially when I learned I could sell some of the more random materials I had been holding on to for some easy Yen.

(And considering I had well over a couple hundred different materials having to do with undead thanks to my "army slaying" earlier, I was able to get enough Yen to easily splurge later on food stuffs without using even a quarter of my sellable items.)

The final thing of note that was currently available in town was the [Explore] feature. This feature allowed me to send Phantasms out into the fields around the town in order to find either rare items, money, or possible {Ruins} that would apparently function as limited time {Battle Zones}. The only downside being that I could only send Phantasms that were not currently Active.

Thankfully I had still held onto Headless Knight, and I was able to send him off into the distance in the name of new items, money, and adventure!

(He had apparently "set up shop" in the Blacksmith Shop (hehe pun), and I had just missed him both times I went over since he was still organizing the place for my future use. I mean his original purpose was to serve magic users after all; it's not like it's something he isn't used to.)

I decided to finish the morning off by going to the Farmers Market and going wild as I bought more and more food to experiment with later. The fact that it was now required for me to eat most definitely played into my new level of excitement.

Finally done (and seeing I only had 2 hours remaining until the meeting time) I exited the ID after saying goodbye to my new Phantasms and figured I would make myself some lunch.

You know...I wonder if Sona would like some?

* * *

"Sona are you sure you don't want to go ahead and eat?" A concerned Tsubaki Shinra asked her (clearly nervous) King as said King stared down at her custom made, blue crystal chess board. A chess board she had been staring at for well over an _hour_ at this point.

Sona was clearly startled by the question as she jerked from whatever trail her thoughts had traveled down this time. The small sigh she gave was enough for Tsubaki to know she had hit a nerve, and her rubbing the bridge of her nose was a definite sign.

"No...I think I'll just have some cake or something when I arrive. Perhaps even go early so that I can determine if he would recognize me on sight," she explained in a murmur as she once again began to go down the rabbit hole that was her mind when overthinking.

Something that caused Tsubaki to sigh as she knew the real reason Sona was becoming so unfocused was because of the young man she would be meeting with in a few hours.

Obviously this wouldn't be the first time that Sona (and by extension her Peerage) would be facing a potential enemy. It was; however, the first time that they would be facing someone in a political esc playing field (read _minefield_) where they simply didn't have all the information.

Quite frankly, they had practically no information on Warren Fall.

Oh, they had information on his student life of course. They even had information on his home life. How else would they have learned his connection to the previous _5th Strongest Exorcist_ of their time?

No, the problem was they had no idea of his actual combat capabilities. For Satan's sake they didn't even know if he _had_ any combat capabilities, or if his reasons for coming to Kuoh Town were innocent or malicious in nature. And if he did have combat capabilities, what then? Was he simply a loner that had been able to keep his identity a secret from the world, or was he connected to the church?

They simply _did not know_.

So really, was it a surprise that Sona was worried for her own safety as well as the safety of the rest of her Peerage?

In the end, Tsubaki supposed it didn't matter. One way or another Sona would be walking out of the cafe safely. Herself and the rest of the Peerage, who would be stationed around the area, would make sure of that.

If that meant taking down a potential enemy who could very well bring about the Third Great War with his death...well so be it.

No one hurt their King.

...Not even attractive young men who her fellow Queen apparently had a crush on.

* * *

"Man I can't remember the last time I had onigiri," I muttered around the homemade onigiri I had made not a few minutes prior. The rice for said onigiri had been bought from my Starter Town, and since all food from there seemed to be the equivalent of locally grown food it was even better than usual in my personal opinion.

I had actually made a full bento to take with me to the meeting, but since I hadn't eaten anything that morning, I decided it wouldn't be a bad idea to make a small snack, aka the onigiri.

I was actually just starting on my way to the meeting with Sona. Though a small problem had arisen as it wasn't until I left the house that I realized I had no idea where the cafe was. A quick stop by the Hyoudou household, and I was able to ask Issei's mom, who answered the door, where the cafe was.

Though I will admit to laughing when she started happily raving over her son, "finally getting a gentleman as a friend who she hoped to set her perverted son straight." And yes, those were her exact words.

So now here I was, standing outside a cozy looking bookstore that doubled as a cafe if the smell of ground coffee beans was anything to go by.

It also seemed to be a devil hot-spot considering the amount of devils Dharc was telling me were surrounding the place. Guess devils really like coffee huh? (Ya hear the sarcasm there?)

Though the obvious precautions were understandable really. Plus, I had no right to complain considering I had Dharc, Silent, _and_ Horus set in my Active roster in case things went pear shaped in a hurry.

Taking a breath to prepare myself, I mentally went over the decision I had decided to make while I had been cooking earlier that morning in order to make sure things _don't_ go pear shaped.

To put it bluntly, it would be completely idiotic of me to not explain my situation to the devils in town. Now before anyone bitches at me, hear me out. (And ya for fourth wall breaking!)

While on one hand it would seem like the better idea to try and pretend to be ignorant of the supernatural in town, and in turn not have to deal with them being weary of me or even seen as an enemy. The simple truth of the matter is that doing such would have _zero_ _**actual**_ advantages.

The devils in town are obviously curious about me to the point that Rias is having members of her peerage tail me throughout the day whenever I leave my house. This means they are aware that I have some kind of supernatural connection or at the very least have the potential to enter the supernatural scene as a member of Rias or Sona's peerage. This meant that one way or another I am already on their radar, and any attempts to take action in the future would be met with suspicion over having pretended to be ignorant.

Another major point actually occurred to me earlier that morning when I was mentally going over my conversation with Sona, and I remembered that she said she knew my address and personal information thanks to a file. A file I could only imagine had my _family's information_ on it.

So quickly calling up Jack (thanks to him giving me his contact info the day before), I flat out asked him if the devils in town would be aware of who my uncle was.

After answering with a resounding "Well obviously brat!", I found myself really without any reason to _not_ tell the devils in town that I was aware of the supernatural. Heck, Jack actually _recommended_ me to do so in order for no misunderstandings to occur in the future, and if nothing less than to at least inform them that I was _**neutral**_ as far as the supernatural was concerned. Something Jack himself had done upon the Germory and Sitri heirs taking over ownership of the town.

So walking into the bookstore/coffee shop, I was met with a small bell, the very strong scent of coffee, and a strong suspicion that today was going to be _nerve wracking_.

Just like the outside, the inside was quite cozy and all but screamed quiet and warmth. Something that thankfully set my slightly frayed nerves at ease. The bookstore portion of the business made up the vast majority of the space while the cafe portion was set up along a back corner where a couple of booths were set up.

It was here that I was met with my first look at Sona Sitri.

She was rather bookish looking in that she looked like a girl you would figure would either be neck deep in a good read or trying to solve the secrets of the universe. The fact that she seemed to have a naturally serious air about her only added to the picture. She was dressed up in the Kuoh Academy girl's uniform which honestly just enhanced the whole stern yet beautiful librarian/secretary look she had going on.

Oh yes she was most definitely beautiful, but unlike Akeno, who had that whole sexy miko princess vibe going on, Sona had a stern beauty to her that demanded both attention and _attention_.

Her violet, practically _pink_, eyes were also really pretty.

Finished with my observations-dammit, hold on. '{Observe}.'

**[Name: Sona Sitri (Souna Shitori)** **] **_  
_**[Race: Pure Blood Devil (King)][Gender: Female] [Age: 17]  
[Titles:] [Student Council President from Hell] [Devil King] [Sitri Heir]**_  
_**[Bloodline Ability: Natural Water Manipulation]  
[Level: 50]**

**[HP: 2,100/ 2,100] [HPR: 29.5]  
[MP: 5,550 / 5,550] [MPR: 45.0]  
[SP: 1,250/ 1,250] [SPR: 18.5]**

**[STR: 22] [AGI: 28] [VIT: 70] ****[END: 30] ****[INT: 122] ****[WIS: 80] ****[LUCK: 37]**

_Now_ finished with my observations, I walked over to the Devil King who was staring at me from over the top of a steaming mug...okay that sounded either a lot creepier or a lot sexier than I intended.

"Shitori-san?" I asked with a tilt of my head.

"Fall-san," she returned with the slightest narrow of her eyes and a tension that hadn't been there moments before. Almost as if she was-oh...ohhhh. Yeah I need to fix this right now.

Throwing her a thankful smile, I gave her a nod and took a seat across from her and placed my wrapped bento on the table beside me. "Thank you for being considerate by wearing your uniform Shitori-san. It would have been rather embarrassing if I had asked random people if they were you." A half truth sure, but it was still technically true.

Now the narrow of her eyes was filled with the slightest hint of indecision before it settled on (while less tense) slightly guarded.

"You're quite welcome Fall-san," she said from around the lip of her mug before she took another sip and placed it back on the table. I also took the time to note that she had a small plate beside her.

"Have you already eaten lunch Shitori-san?" I asked while opening the wrappings around my bento which in turn revealed there was in fact two instead of one.

She seemed slightly startled at my question (and wow is she really this wound up?) before her gaze locked onto my two bentos.

"I arrived a little early in order to eat. Though I suppose that was slightly rude of me," she said with the smallest tilt down of her lips.

"No, it's quite alright Shitori-san. I just have a love of cooking you see." Here I started pushing one of the bentos toward her," I hope it's not precipitous of me, but I made you a bento as well since we were meeting around lunchtime."

Only the slightest raise of her brow was enough to show her surprise as she stared down at the dark blue bento. The look passed just as quickly; however, as she began to gingerly run her hand over the boxed lunch.

(Dharc perked up through our link as he apparently noticed something.)

"Thank you Fall-san, I must admit to being interested in trying your cooking after I read your file," she said as we both opened the bentos. The inside revealed they were traditional Sake bentos as they contained broiled salmon as the main dish, a small salad, some rice, some pan fried edamame, and fruit sandos for desert.

"Is that so?" I asked after ordering a cup of green tea to go along with my meal. "May I ask what information was given in my file about my cooking? I've never actually had the chance to look while I was in the process of moving so quickly."

Her gaze turned to me with a hint of something resembling suspension at my question, but she eventually seemed to deem it alright to share. This was proven when she began pulling out my file from a bag next to her.

After taking the file, I actually didn't begin looking through it quite yet. Instead I watched Sona's reaction to trying my cooking. It had been a couple of days since I had cooked anything for someone other than myself after all, and I was a little worried I may have lost my edge.

(It was also at this point that Dharc was able to relay to me that Sona had cast some kind of magic on the bento. The general conclusion was that it was to check for poison which was completely understandable considering who she is, so Dharc went back to his organizing.)

I must admit though that her reaction was a lot more...intense than I anticipated.

Because I was most definitely not expecting her entire frame to lock up, the smallest of moans (which unholy shit was that hot) to exit her slightly parted lips, and the euphoric look that soon spread across her face as she chewed the piece of broiled salmon in a much more sensual manner than I could have thought possible.

Hell, Sona herself didn't seem to realize the spectacle she was creating for a solid thirty seconds which was the amount of time it took her to finish eating the one piece of fish as if to saver the food she was currently having a borderline foodgasm over.

When she did finally decide to come to her wits, it was to see me looking at her with wide eyes, red tipped ears, and no small amount of shock at her complete 180 in character after one bite of my food.

I know I'm good, but dammit I know for a fact I'm not _that good_!

At least it was nice to know I hadn't lost my edge.

"A-Ahem," Sona cleared her throat while her own cheeks flushed slightly at her realization that she broke character in a rather unladylike manner. "I-it is quite good Fall-san," she stuttered out. Her stutter just made her blush a bit darker.

"Thank you Shitori-san," I muttered back while starting to eat my own meal as a means to try and make the awkward tension Go. Away.

Seeing that I wasn't going to call her out on her loss of character seemed to be just enough to allow her to build her stern exterior back up. That said I couldn't stop myself from blushing every time I heard her moan a little around her fork as she ate her bento. (Because seriously did Sona have a food fetish or something?! My cooking is not this good!)

I did thankfully have my newly acquired file to look through; however, which was definitely a good means to distract myself from the stern (yet most definitely beautiful) devil across from me, and her apparent new love of salmon if the way she was savoring it was any indication.

Damn now I can only wonder how Koneko would react to my cooking.

That mental picture aside, my file was not actually all that helpful really. I mean yeah it talked about my school life as well as my grades and such, but I already knew all this considering it was _exactly the same_ as my previous life's grades and files. The only thing of real note was the fact that it gave a much more detailed account of my tournament days when I went to school sanctioned cooking tournaments-wait...the fuck?

Why does it say I went to a national level tournament? I mean don't get me wrong; I _did_ go to a national level tournament...but I went _anonymously_.

Yeah I know that doesn't make much sense, but lets just say that at the time I did _not_ want the cooking community at large (which is a legitimate thing and cutthroat as fuck) to know my true identity.

So why the ever-un-loving fuck was my _public file_ stating I went to the _adult level_ competition and won _**first place**_?!

...why do I have a feeling Chaos is behind this?

"Is something the matter Fall-san?"

Snapping my head up, I stared back into the slightly startled eyes of my, soon to be, Student Council President. It was only then that I realized just how wound up I was after reading my file. Oh and the fact that I could now feel Horus feeding on my annoyance and fanning the flames like the jackass he was.

'Oi Silent, you mind hitting him for me?'

(A slapping sound, a squawk of derision, and the feeling of a sharp calmness through my bond with Silent was all I needed to know he had heeded my request.)

"Ah sorry," I winced before setting down the file with a sigh. "I hadn't realized that my winning the national tournament was documented in a public file."

That got a raised brow from the Devil King as she sipped some of her drink. The now finished bento beside her sparkling clean anime style.

At her questioning look, I sighed again while deciding that it wasn't that big a deal to explain. "Well as much as it may surprise you to learn, the world of professional cooking is rather cutthroat. The pride of a chef is a fragile thing really, so you can probably imagine what would happen if it came out that a _teenager_ won _the_ national tournament."

Now that got a surprised look out of her and her eyes widened slightly. "Are you saying that the national tournament you participated in was the _Masters Level_ tournament?!"

That drew a wince out of me and a rather bad batch of memories that involved a lot of volatile chefs wielding flaming cutlery. I swear _to this day_ I cannot look at metal spaghetti strainers without going green in the face. Thankfully wooden or plastic ones are fine.

(It also just now occurred to me that my life was weird _before_ I got Isekied into a harem protagonist anime. Once again, Fml.)

Seeing my rapidly paling face seemed to clue her in that this particular road of inquiry was not a favored one. Thank Gabriel.

"Well, pleasantries aside, allow me to explain to you the changes you may encounter as well as the rules you will be subject too at Kuoh Academy."

What followed was an hour long discussion about the rules and regulations of my new high school, an overview of the subject matter that I was going to be instructed in, a review of the different clubs that will be available, and an explanation that since Kuoh Academy was only recently turned into a Co-Ed school some clubs may not allow me to enter on the basis of gender. Sona kinda hinted at the fact that it was mostly the sports clubs with this bias, mainly on the basis of males joining in order to peep on females in the showers, locker rooms, etc. Though she did also hint at the fact that some females were just as bad. The fact that she muttered something about a _yaoi club_ during her overview of the clubs just added to the overall picture that there were perverts on both sides of the line.

She also mentioned that since I didn't have a uniform; I would need to stop by the school before classes actually started. This brought up the fact that she would be happy to either give me a tour of the school during my visit or have one of the student council members do so.

"I believe that is everything of note Fall-san. Though if you have any more questions, don't be afraid to either seek me out or call," Sona finished while referring to the fact that she gave me her contact information. I gotta call ahead when I go to pick up my uniform after all.

"Actually, there was one more thing I hoped to discuss with you Shitori-san," I said sheepishly though on the inside I was a bit nervous. The wave of calm and support I got from Dharc, Silent, and even Horus calmed me down; however, and even made me smile a little at the show of support.

At her motion to continue, I took a breath and forged on. "You see; I was hoping to discuss the exact procedures you employ when different members of the supernatural enter town."

At my words she immediately started to tense up, so I quickly continued on. "I mean don't get me wrong. If I had known who was in charge of Kuoh's territory, I would have contacted you or Gremory-san before moving here. I only learned who you were yesterday; however, so I thought it best to discuss such things today since we were already meeting." Which was all technically true considering Jack told me that particular piece of information yesterday.

"...is that so?" Sona said with a hint of tension in her voice. A tension that was shared by the rest of her body as she stared at me with something between shock and indecision. Clearly she hadn't expected me to state my knowledge of the supernatural outright.

"Yes, you see after you informed me that you had read my file; I came to realize that you most likely already knew of my connection to Masaomi-ji-san. As such, I didn't really see a point of not simply informing you of my neutral standing as far as the supernatural went and in turn stop any misunderstandings that may occur in the future." I finished quickly with a sheepish shrug before grabbing both empty bentos and storing them in my [Inventory] now that she was made aware of my supernatural standing.

"You're neutral?" She stated more than asked as she stared from where I made the bentos disappear back to my similarly tensed form.

"That is correct," I said while wincing on the inside since she was still clearly tense. Though I was the same, so I couldn't exactly blame her. "I don't have anything against devils in particular, though I will attack any stray devils that endanger me or someone else, and as long as you nor Gremory-san try to force me into anything." Here I gave her a pointed look, "I won't do anything to go against you."

"As far as Fallen Angels are concerned, as long as they don't attack me, anyone I know, or have malicious purposes they are fine in my book. The same could be said about any other supernatural group really." Here I frowned, "The only faction I honestly have a problem with is the Angel faction and that's more so the church division than the actual Heaven portion." I explained honestly.

Sona seemed to take everything in like a sponge as she simply stared at me with a far off gaze as if incorporating everything I said. Whether that had to do with me flat out stating that any supernatural was fair game as far I was concerned, or it was over the fact that I actually disliked my uncle's old faction was up to debate.

"I...see," Sona muttered, still a little overwhelmed. Once she seemed to get herself a bit more together she graced me with a thoughtful look.

"From your words about forcing you into anything, I assume that means you are aware of the Peerage System." At my jerky nod she continued," am I correct to assume that you would be _against_ joining a peerage then with regards to your neutral status?"

That actually threw me for a loop as I stared at her surprised. Not because of her claiming that I don't want to join a peerage of course; I had made that pointedly clear not a few moments ago. No rather, it was because she figured that it was because of my _neutral status_ that I didn't want to join.

Which point to her, that actually is one of my biggest reasons for not wanting to join a peerage. Well that and my wish to push myself as far as I can while remaining human.

Though perhaps that's because unlike Rias, who would probably try and convince me to join even if I didn't want to, Sona was actually more open minded as far as peerage members went. After all, Sona actually had regular humans become members of her peerage instead of Rias who either tried to find rare and powerful pieces/members or just had them literally fall into her lap. Thus Sona would probably understand that someone wouldn't want to join a peerage as a simple matter of principle instead of anything some other devil would find as offensive.

"You would assume right," I said with a curt nod. "Like I said before, I personally have nothing against devils in general. A good portion of your race has most definitely grown to accept modern customs and in turn grown to adapt to them in order to meet your goals. Something I can't very well judge you on as otherwise I would be considered a hypocrite considering humans are as much sinful beings as devils are." I grinned as she blinked in surprise at my claim. "That's actually one of the reasons I'm not that big a fan of the Angel faction's church groups. They don't even realize that they're probably some of the biggest hypocrites out there," I finished with a scowl as I remembered some of the discoveries made during my talk with Jack the day before.

I did make sure to give her another pointed look; however, before I continued. "That doesn't mean I haven't heard of the lengths some of your fellow devils will go to in order to get a "piece" they really want. I will reiterate once again. As long as neither you, Gremory-san, or any other devil attempt to push me into joining a peerage, then I will have no reason to go against you and yours."

At my last words Sona predictably tensed as the threat of "as long as" made itself blatantly clear. Truthfully this was a term I believed I had to get out in the open right now as I honestly didn't want Rias or Sona trying to "woo me" into joining either of them. The fact that I also made it blatantly clear that I would retaliate against _any_ devil who tried to force the issue was another major term I wanted to get in the air.

Sona ended up probably staring at me for a solid thirty seconds while being clearly tense for even a hint of intent to act on in the event that I attacked her. I on the other hand outwardly relaxed in order to try and put her at ease.

Not to say that my Active roster wasn't ready to blow the building sky high if the need arose, or that my hand wasn't unconsciously tensing to grab for a weapon if the need arose, but I had to at least try.

Finally the tension seemed to slowly drain out of her as it was clear I would only act in self-defense, and she graced me with a thoughtful look.

"I must admit Fall-san. You have caused both myself and Gremory-san quite some worry," Sona said giving me a mirth filled, barely-there smile. "When we discovered the nephew of the previous 5th Strongest Exorcist was now living in Kuoh well...I assume you can imagine our worry."

I stared at her for a moment before chuckling at the mental image of Rias and Sona running around like a pair of headless chickens. The once tense air surrounding us finally giving way and allowing us to both relax to the states we were before I voiced my initial question. "I apologize for any trouble I caused you and yours Stiri-san."

Her slightly startled look at my use of her actual name was fleeting at best as she seemed to still be processing the fact that I was aware of the supernatural. Though when she then gave a rather put out sigh, I couldn't help but raise a brow.

"It's quite alright Fall-san. Though I must admit to being rather annoyed at the paperwork you're going to cause me," she said with a slight glare that was honestly rather hot on her-no! Bad Warren! You were just prepared to level the place if need be. Do not be distracted by the beautiful she-devil in front of you! (No insult meant of course.)

"Is it really going to be that big an issue?" I asked a little hesitatingly. Say what you will, paperwork is easily the greatest enemy to any leader out there.

She stared at me for a moment, possibly from the understanding and honest worry in my tone, before giving a small sigh. "Somewhat I'm afraid. Truthfully, adding you onto the list of supernatural in town won't be that big an issue. No the problem will stem from Gremory-san's not taking no as an answer."

At my tensing up at the claim, Sona flushed slightly before quickly continuing. "Not that she will force you of course. Far from it! The problem is that Ri-Gremory-san is...well she..." She trailed off probably trying to find words that wouldn't insult her friend while at the same time not upset me since I had made it quite clear on my lack of interest when it came to joining a peerage.

I on the other hand had no issue with such. "She likes shiny things," I scowled at her because while Rias does treat her peerage members well, it doesn't change the fact that…wells she's a bit of a spoiled princess.

I mean don't get me wrong. Rias does fight for her beliefs, and she cares for those that are hers with the viciousness of a lioness. Heck, I don't even have a problem with her not having been preparing for her fight with Riser in a more orderly fashion as the simple truth of the matter is that she thought she had until she finished _college, _as in schooling that was still _years away_ from being finished. She had a _legitimate reason_ for being unprepared to face the older and more experienced Devil King.

No, my main problem stems from the fact that she let her pride and self-confidence guide her rather than her actual _intelligence_. An intellect that I was almost positive she had considering she did in fact have a strategic mind. The problem was she didn't let that intelligence guide her, and she let her pride take over in matters where intelligence would have led her to victory.

Case in point, her decision to face Riser one-on-one when she herself had claimed he was stronger than her.

Anyways, I'm getting off track, and Sona looked to be seconds away from either scolding me for insulting her friend or trying to hold in a sigh over my blunt (but truthful) words. In the end she gained a strained scowl before giving a slight grimace and nod.

"Well whatever the case, it would probably be best to inform you that even if I did wish to join either your's or Gremory-san's peerage, I'm afraid actually doing such would be impossible." I said with a shrug as I thought over that little tidbit of information.

At her cocked brow I gained a small smile, and I leaned back as I prepared to explain. "You see even if you or Gremory-san were to use your entire set of Evil Pieces; you still wouldn't be able to turn me."

That got a rather startled look from Sona as she processed my words for a moment before gaining a scowl at what she probably thought was a dig against her. Something I quickly stopped by raising a hand to show I wasn't finished.

"Note that I purposely said it was the _Evil Pieces_ that wouldn't be able to turn me, not yourself or Gremory-san. My soul is simply too big for the pieces to convert." I explained with a carefree shrug and grin.

Thankfully she took a moment to think over the new information before turning pensive. "How is that possible?" Sona asked skeptically though I did notice a hint of curiosity in her gaze.

"My Sacred Gear," I started to explain before stopping a moment to take in Sona's "ah" look at the simple pair of words," is Soul based. Its main function being to add layers around my Soul in order to gain powers and abilities from lost souls or Phantasms if you will." There, that was both vague enough to satisfy her for the moment and not give away just how powerful I was/could become.

Because here's the thing. At this point in time without using Trinity Tuner both Devil Kings as well as their Queens (you know; assuming Tsubaki is around Akeno's level) could beat me based on stats alone, and if I weren't to add in high levels their own magic and such most likely were.

Add in Horus or even Silent into the equation; however, and I would easily equal or outright surpass all four of them without even trying. The latter more likely to happen with Horus mind you since he was now **Lv30** thanks to the boss fight and our Chaos Creator moment.

Truthfully, I was just as surprised as her that Trinity Tuner made it impossible to turn me. Heck, I only found that tidbit of information when I had gone over the update again while waiting to come over in order to see if I missed something. Which I obviously did, if I missed that bit of information the first time around.

Sure it also trashed my original idea of using a Devil or even Angel upgrade as a means to possibly survive a fight or something, but in the end I guess the choice was made for me. Not that I was particularly upset by it; in fact it was kinda a weight off my shoulders that the option was no longer available.

Anyways, back to Sona.

"I don't believe I have ever heard of a Sacred Gear like that," Sona said with a pensive look. Her eyes gave away the fact that she was mentally going over the information in her head; however, or the fact that she was slightly unnerved with the revelation.

(It is also just occurring to me that I am reading Sona a lot easier than I would have thought. I remember her being a bit of an Ice Queen, so this slightly flustered version of her was a little weird honestly.)

"That's not all that surprising," I said with another shrug. "The gear itself is actually one of the rare ones that evolves with every user while also taking time to really get to a level that would allow it to be useful which in turn means-"

"That it wouldn't have been as powerful as other Sacred Gears in the past that became infamous from the very start while also making the user a target without the usual boost most gears would grant the user. In turn making it harder for users to survive first contact with the supernatural," She finished, cutting me off with an understanding look.

"Right in one," I said, snapping my fingers and nodding at her.

Taking a moment to think over anything else to talk about, I graced her with a tilt of the head. "You mentioned earlier that I needed to be added to a list of the supernatural in town. What exactly will be needed for that?"

That caused Sona to perk up from whatever rabbit trail her thoughts seemed to go down as she began to explain the process of getting me registered as a member of the supernatural side of town. Sona appeared to have once again relaxed at this point as she leaned into the seat behind her while explaining. Myself doing the same as the atmosphere finally lost the last bit of tension that had lingered, and we were able to make small talk after the more important things were discussed. Before I even knew it another hour had passed, and we were both on our third cup of tea.

Eventually the topic of conversation turned to the two devil peerages.

"So Himejima-hime _is_ a member of Gremory-san's peerage," I said with a nod as if confirming the thought.

"Yes, Akeno is actually Rias's Queen," Sona said with a chuckle after taking another sip of tea.

"Ah, so she's the _Priestess of Thunder_ I've heard about," I said with my own chuckle. I mean obviously I already knew this, but I had to make it seem like I didn't.

"Yes, a title she most definitely earned with her control over lightning based magic," Sona said with a small smile as she talked about her friend's accomplishment.

"From your tone, I can assume you've known her for a while," I said with a smile of my own. One she continued to return with a nod.

"Yes, I've known Rias and Akeno for quite a number of years now," she said with a fond smile that was so unlike her usual stern look that I was honestly captivated by it for a moment. Sona really should smile more.

"Let me guess, the cliche childhood friends trope," I couldn't help but tease as more of my own true nature came out the longer we talked.

Sona gave a light blush at the tease before huffing into her cup, and sparing me a mock glare that truthfully didn't have any heat behind it. The change in her once tense and almost icy nature was honestly a delight to see as the real Sona started to also make its way to the surface.

It was as I was about to voice up about her own Queen that I was startled by my phone going off to signal that I had gotten a message.

Gesturing to the phone with a sheepish smile, Sona nodded with an understanding nod before taking out her own phone. Opening the message to see what exactly the [Gamer System] was trying to inform me about as it was the only reason my phone would go off, I started reading the message-

Only to freeze and reread the text a second time. I then had to reread the message a _third _time before simply staring at the text for a moment because...seriously...what the fuck?

Who...who the ever loving fuck would…

(Horus began shrieking like a siren as he too realized what exactly the text meant; both Silent and Dharc trying their damnedest to calm him down. At the moment though I wasn't exactly all that interested in stopping him.)

((If I had, I may have realized that Horus's own burning rage was bleeding over and even empowering my own.))

Heaving a sigh (To try and calm the utter _**rage**_ I felt over someone _who would dare-_) and putting my phone away, I turned to a startled and tensed Sona as she clearly caught onto my building anger (burning rage _howdarethey_!?).

"Alright I have to ask for formalities sake. Did you send one of your peerage members to try and break into my house?"

At her look of honest confusion and slight shock, I attempted to rein in my anger a little (_motherfuckingrage_), and I took a deep breath to help me process the fact that she was clearly as surprised as I was.

"Of course I didn't," Sona said flatly as if the idea of even doing such was idiotic on basis alone which it kinda was. "I am not an idiot Warren-san. Your uncle was the previous owner of your house." She shuddered a little," I can only imagine the anti-devil wards he must have set up around the property."

I gave a small chuckle (_ragestilltheremotherfucker_) as I knew exactly what she was talking about, and considering the level of power I could make those wards work at for any naughty trespassers. Well let's just say lethal was apparently a gross underestimate as far as my uncle was concerned and leave it at that.

"Well apparently someone didn't do their homework, considering I just got an alert that someone tried to teleport straight into my house and then began trying and failing to use magic to unlock any of the doors or windows. Magic that the wards are telling me is Devil in origin" I said deadpan.

((It was at this point that Silent decided to get Horus's attention off my own area of focus and pretty much bitch-slapped the Evil Dragon. This had the effect of tempering my rage a bit as Silent was finally able to make enough room for both him and Dharc to make their own partial link. Not that I knew this until later of course.))

Sona herself deadpanned and soon shared her reason for doing such as she pinched the bridge of her house and muttered, "Rias you tomato brained idiot."

Huh, I didn't take Sona for the insulting type. The passive aggressive insulting type sure, but flat out insults were not what I expected.

"Well whatever the case, would you like to accompany me to tell off a Devil Princess that doesn't know the meaning of private property? I expect it to be quite fun," I said with a flourish as I rose from my seat to offer her a hand up. The grin of good-natured formality barely covering the savage grin that wanted to appear instead.

Something Sona obviously noticed as she seemed to hesitate for a moment before she gave a slightly mischievous smile of her own (huh, maybe her and Serafall were more alike than I thought) and accepted the hand with only the barest hesitation.

And I can proudly say that I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship...

Or an unholy alliance. Either works I guess.

* * *

Going into the meeting with Warren Fall, Sona would admit to being worried.

Not that she believed herself or even her peerage would lose if a fight broke out mind you. The amount of wards and barriers her peerage were prepared to activate on the barest hint that Warren was hostile could have very well held a High Class Devil for several minutes.

And Sona _would_ be able to tell if he were hostile. Truthfully, she was probably the best bet the two peerages had at the moment in determining if Warren was a threat or not.

Because while her older sister may very well be one of the most eccentric (and borderline immature) devils to currently hold the title of Satan; she was also very protective of family. As such, Serafall had made sure to train Sona in the art of being a living lie detector from a very early age. Something Serafall herself had down to an art form.

It honestly amused Sona that most people forgot that Serafall was not just Magical Girl Levi-tan, but she was also the one in charge of the _entire_ Foreign Affairs Department of the _whole of devil society_. A job that depended very much on Serafall's ability to tell what the people she was meeting with were thinking.

Sona almost constantly had to question how so many people (other factions and devils alike) seemed to forget that Devils were naturals when it came to detecting emotions. How else were they supposed to tell if someone would accept a contract or not after all? Or better yet, why did nobody realize that the reason a Reincarnated Devil's first task to pass out flyers was to start training their natural empathic abilities?

Sometimes Sona honestly questioned her own race's common sense.

Degrading her own race aside, Sona felt like she can be excused for being a little tense when Tsubaki confirmed Warren arrived outside the cafe/bookstore.

She also feels like she can be excused for being frozen stiff (if even for a moment) when the full weight of Warren Fall's golden gaze was settled upon her.

Sona could now understand what Akeno meant when she called his eyes _**soul searing**_.

The fact that her earlier assumption that he would recognize her on sight was founded when she saw the recognition in his gaze did nothing to help her tension...

Until he had _thanked her_ for wearing her _school uniform_ to make it easier to recognize her, and in turn make Sona question her original hypothesis. The worst part of it being that everything about his words _screamed_ honesty to her well honed senses, yet the truth of who exactly was sitting across from her just couldn't stop her from being suspicious. Especially since she could also tell that while his words were the truth, they were also not the whole truth.

So when he gave her a bento filled with his own cooking, she made sure to check the food for poisons, and upon detecting none hesitantly tried some...

Well the events surrounding her tasting is better left between the two of them. Though her hopes that he was a non-hostile grew greatly in the mere hope that she would get a chance to try his cooking again.

(The fact that she had a closet food fetish would be _**taken to her grave**_.)

Conversation continuing after that was...pleasant. Sona could honestly admit to enjoying her time talking to Warren. He was a rather stimulating conversationalist that she couldn't help but relax even marginally around.

Especially when he just had this...warmth to him. A completely natural warmth that just made him comfortable to be around, and it wasn't magical in nature. She would have felt it if it was. The fact that it wasn't magic also started to make her suspect that perhaps he did not know about magic after all...

Then of course he had to go and throw every assumption and suspicion she had been building around him into the air by outright claiming that he was supernaturally aware. Actually no, rather it was when he innocently claimed that he was _neutral _with slight leanings _against the church _that made her question everything she knew for a moment.

Because all of it was said with complete and utter _honesty_.

And sure, he made a few blatant threats that he would retaliate if pushed too far by herself or Rias to join a peerage, but she had dealt with others who chose the same in the past. She almost wanted to thank him in fact since she had once had to deal with an individual who didn't make their view on joining a peerage clear in the past, and it had very nearly cost her.

Sona could almost mentally and physically feel the moment his words truly registered as the utter _weight_ her tension had become, finally stripped itself off her like a physical thing.

If the conversation before was pleasant, then the conversation now was just plain enjoyable. Especially now that the tension between them was pretty much nonexistent. Though she did gain a bit of insight into his abilities from his previously tense state.

She was able to determine that he was most likely a weapon user as his tensed hands formed to grab something not there. His description of his Sacred Gear, as limited as it was, could also be speculated to be rather impressive if given enough time to mature. Considering his quick move to Kuoh; however, it was pretty easy to speculate that awakening his gear had probably been the catalyst for his moving to a different country altogether. Meaning he most likely had not had time to work extensively with his gear.

A small part of Sona also couldn't help but question how he had made her relax so much in his presence, or how she could give him an honest smile, _or_ how she had willingly given him permission to use her _real_ first name. The thought that he was influencing her somehow wasn't credible; however, as he was not letting out even a hint of magic.

Still, the larger portion of her simply enjoyed being able to bask in his warmth that warmed her to her very bones and set all her tense nerves at ease...

Right up until that warmth sputtered out for a moment upon him reading a text message, and then be almost _consumed_ with something not unlike a wild inferno that promised anyone who entered it to be _burned to the ground_.

It was a rather startling change if you can't tell.

So now here Sona found herself walking along the path to Warren's home, arm in arm (because even in his anger, he was apparently a gentleman) with her junior who's grin did a pretty decent job of hiding the promised pain he planned to inflict to those who dared trespass in his home.

(Sona couldn't help but think he was acting like a certain species at that moment, but for the life of her she couldn't place it.)

"If it is Rias, or a member of her peerage, who is trying to enter your home. Could I ask that you allow me to question her reasoning first?" Sona asked because even though he was practically flooding her senses with his (_whitehotyetsomehowblack_) rage she _couldn't_ find herself being afraid of that anger.

Because while she may be worried over what exactly he would do to her friends; somehow she couldn't imagine him actually doing something to hurt them. The natural warmth he projected was still there after all, almost surrounding the raging emotions in fact, and undercurrents of calm showed that while he was angry; he had not succumbed to the rage. It was a rather strange contradiction she realized.

He sparred her a glance from the corner of his eye (were his eyes _glowing?!_) before looking forward. "If you can provide me with a decent reason why, then of course," he stated calmly. Something that Sona wasn't buying for a second as she had felt the small spike in his inner inferno at the question, but he still contained all the same.

"Truthfully," she began before a small smirk formed," I'm interested to see just how big a hole Rias can dig herself into when she tries to explain away her reasoning behind this stunt. Especially when she agreed to wait on taking action until after our meeting."

She was feeling a little vindictive alright.

Plus the approving smirk Warren shot her was rather handsome.

(And no, Sona was not like some of those little school girls that would blush and stutter around admitting such. She could appreciate a good looking male just like anyone else.)

Turning the last corner to reach the street Warren's house resided on, Sona couldn't help but sigh as she could already see and hear the frantically yelling voice of her childhood friend. The deep crimson hair Rias sported making it all the easier to spot her. Thankfully she appeared to have the presence of mind to place a repelling barrier around the street for any who weren't supernaturally inclined.

Sona would admit to being rather surprised that the rest of Rias's peerage appeared to be present as well. She thought they had more common sense than that.

"Okay what _haven't_ we tried then?!" She could hear Rias shout at Akeno who was kneeling in front of Warren's front door. When their conversation seemed to stem into countermeasures at a lower noise level, she turned her narrowed gaze to the two others present.

She wasn't surprised in the least that it was Koneko who spotted them first as she glanced over her shoulder, most likely from hearing their footsteps on the concrete, only to then freeze as she spotted them walking down the street toward them. Sona did find it rather funny (she swore she heard Warren snort in amusement) when Koneko flailed her arm to the side while never taking her eyes off them in order to get Yuuto's attention from where he stood beside her. Yuuto himself froze in place from whatever he was going to say as he spotted them as well.

"Toujou-san, Kiba-san," Sona greeted lowly in order to not draw the nearby King and Queen's attention too quickly. The pair swiftly returned the greeting with a pair of flinches as she hadn't used their first names. Though that also may have had to do with how their eyes never left Warren's frame from beside her. Warren himself was staring straight at the red and black haired duo who were still discussing ways to infiltrate said young man's house.

"I agreed for you to talk first Sona-san," Warren murmured from beside her; his inner inferno at that moment seeming to almost _sharpen_ as the undercurrents of calm became rivers of emotion that helped further surround his inner rage. Something only the half-yokai of the duo beside them seemed to understand as her eyes became slits for a split second, she paled, and then shuffled behind Kiba slightly from finally seeming to realize they were standing next to the equivalent of a time-bomb just waiting to go off.

"Thank you Warren-san," she murmured right back before slipping from their linked arms and walking toward the still bickering duo.

"I'm telling you Rias; the ward breakers you made simply aren't working! Every time I think they've worked; I go back and check only to find them still there," Akeno huffed out, clearly annoyed with her King at the moment.

"They have to work," Rias snapped right back. "I can _feel_ every time they destroy the wards, so they shouldn't be there!"

"Well I don't know what to tell you, but they are Rias!" Akeno shot back with a lot more force than Sona had seen her use before. Perhaps she was feeling guilty over their attempts to break into her crush's home?

"Have you considered that there is a second layer of wards that are repairing the first level of wards just as quickly as they are being destroyed?"

Rias perked up at that and gave Sona a bright smile. "That must be it! Thank you Sona!" Rias said excitedly as she went to make the adjustments after pushing a frozen Akeno out of the way. Akeno on the other hand stood stock still from where she had been pushed before slowly turning to find both an irate Devil King as well as a clearly annoyed Warren Fall staring at her.

Sona jerked her head to where Koneko and Yuuto were standing stiff off to the side, and Akeno didn't need a second hint as to what she was supposed to do. She practically sprinted over to her fellow peerage members only sparing Warren the smallest of glances-

'Of course she would get off on his anger,' Sona thought tiredly as red soon spread across the Queen's cheeks, and she started panting a little as Warren's inner rage peaked again for a moment. Sona would admit to being surprised that Akeno's posture made her seem almost _meak_ in appearance; however, as it was well known in the two peerages that Akeno preferred to be the Dom when it came to her sadistic tendencies.

"Oh, what is the ward pattern again?" Rias asked herself as she continued working completely oblivious to what was going on. "Sona what was the ward pattern again-wait...Sona?" Finally.

"Yes Rias," Sona stated with a glare that could have frozen lava.

Rias froze up at her voice before chuckling weakly and turning around, clearly about to try and explain her reasons for not following their agreement.

Or well that's what _would_ have happened had she not spotted Warren standing behind her with a scowl on his face.

"Get away from him Sona!" Oh you cannot be serious.

Unfortunately Rias was apparently quite serious as she rushed forward and summoned up her magic in order to point a magic circle at Warren.

Sona couldn't help but inwardly scream in frustration as the rest of Rias's peerage followed their King's example and surrounded Warren with magic primed and weapons drawn.

"Rias," Sona hissed at her friend with the beginnings of a headache coming on.

"Sona his house is guarded by wards, strong wards! He's got to be-" "Completely neutral" "-dangerous! We need...to...wait what?"

Sona couldn't hold in the urge to pinch the bridge of her nose anymore and glared at her (currently infuriating) friend from over the hand clasped to her nose. "Warren-san is neutral as far as the supernatural is concerned." Sona said dryly.

"Yes, though I must admit to finding your actions rather...annoying," Warren spoke up from where he was currently scowling at Rias, not looking worried in the slightest about the four devils currently surrounding him. "Is it common for you and yours to invade the private property of those living in your territory Sona-san?" He asked Sona with a quirked brow.

"No, _it is not_." Sona ground out while glaring at Rias who was snapping her head from one to the other as she obviously tried to make sense of what was going on. "Rias, we agreed to not take any significant actions concerning Warren-san until _after_ my meeting."

"W-Well your meeting should have ended a while ago, so I just thought I'd...get a head start," Rias said hesitantly before flinching as Warren's scowl became a legitimate snarl.

"Invading my privacy is your idea of a _head start_?!" Warren snarled out, his eyes glaring at Rias menacingly.

Sona didn't allow Rias the time to answer as she herself bristled indignantly. "Rias, we _just finished_ our meeting," she grit out harshly.

That startled Rias enough to turn from where she was trying (and failing) to match Warren's glare and gap at Sona shocked.

"You just finished?! Sona your meeting started three hours ago!"

Sona blinked a little surprised with that piece of information before shrugging it off to glare at Rias's shocked look. "Well what do expect to happen when after we discuss school matters, Warren-san brought his supernatural awareness to my attention in order to stop any misunderstandings from forming? _Like what is happening right now!_" She finished with a hiss at her gaping friend.

Thankfully that statement also shook the others surrounding Warren enough to make them share a hesitant glance before lowering their weapons and magic circles.

"W-What?! Well why is he only doing so now?" Rias snapped back clearly trying to take back control over the conversation.

'Not like she ever had it,' Sona thought dryly before giving Rias a flat look. "Because he didn't know who was in charge of Kuoh Town until _yesterday_."

"O-Oh," Rias stuttered out with a blush before coughing into her fist. "W-Well then I apologize for any offensive I may have-"

"You really think an apology will make up for what you did?!" Warren asked incredulously. "You tried to break into my house, _multiple times_!" He proclaimed angrily; his internal rage blasting away the undercurrents of calm for a moment and starting to leak out to create a heat haze around him from how strong it actually was.

That got Sona to wince and honestly become a little frightened considering she didn't sense a single ounce of magic power that could be causing such a phenomenon. The others present also tensing at the appearance of such a volatile phenomena.

She too had honestly hoped that an apology would suffice, but considering his anger when first discovering the invasion of privacy, she wasn't really surprised.

"What exactly would you see as equal compensation?" Sona asked quickly while throwing Rias a glare. Rias, who had appeared to be gearing up to make it into some kind of debate if she knew her friend, snapped around to stare at her incredulously.

"My home is off limits, **period**." Warren said instantly to her question, not surprising Sona in the least. At her nod he finally seemed to settle emotionally enough that his heat haze fell, and he took a breath seemingly pushing away the rest of his anger in the process.

'Mental note: Warren Fall is extremely protective over his home. May branch to his other possessions.' She internally noted with a relieved sigh now that the chance of a fight went down.

She also couldn't help but find it funny that Rias looked like she had bit a lemon with the face she was making. She clearly had an issue with not being able to enter his home whenever she wanted. Something that she was definitely going to have to talk (read _scold_) her about later.

"Well now that that's settled," Warren said, his previous cheer coming back in full, before moving past the constipated looking Rias. "I believe it is about time I started on supper."

That caused Sona to perk up, and her mouth to water slightly before quickly snapping out of her slight loss in character to stare at the young chef who had stopped beside her with a grin.

"If you'd like, I'd be happy to provide lunch next week when I come to get my uniform." He offered with a smile before his grin turned mischievous, and his gaze moved to the series of houses across the street. "If so, I'll make sure to make enough for your peerage as well."

Sona stared at him for a moment, digesting his words and actions, before nodding her agreement at both his words and his clear 'check' at pointing out that he had known about her peerage being present for the entire meeting.

(If she nodded a bit more enthusiastically than she meant to...well his cooking was just that good. That was all the excuse she really needed.)

Upon smiling at her agreement, Warren began making his way up his porch to enter his house. She was thus surprised when he stopped and turned to look at Rias.

"Also one more thing, just because it needs to be said," he said as if discussing the weather." If you ever attempt to enter my home without my express permission again-"

Suddenly an overwhelming pressure entered the air, one that pressed down on all of them with feelings of promised _pain _and _suffering_. The inner inferno Warren's rage had been before now bursting to the surface and almost imprinting itself onto reality as the very shadows being cast upon his house formed into a shape depicting a large bird of prey. The heat haze that he had once created now returning in full and then some as it almost felt like fire was only inches away from burning her. The sheer lust for _carnage_ and _battle_ in the air almost choking Sona like there was smoke in her lungs anditbecame_harderto__**breath-**_

"_**-there will not be ashes left when I'm done with you."**_

And Sona could finally breathe again. The once impossibly, imposing feelings in the air vanishing like a summer breeze. The only evidence that it was even there being the shaking of her limbs, and the gasp of needy breaths she inhaled like a drowning victim.

Sona barely even noticed the fact that her peerage had immediately joined her side; their own shaking, gasp of breath, and even limp forms showing their own conditions. Rias's own peerage was in just as bad of shape with Rias herself actually on her knees from what Sona could only imagine was a full blast of _whatever_ that was. Akeno was the somewhat sole exception from where she was on her knees as she was instead panting like a golden retriever with glazed over eyes and shaking limbs that were groping at her own chest-and Sona was looking away now.

She only vaguely heard Warren say something about "getting that out of my system" and "see ya next week Sona-san" before making his way inside apparently not worried in the least about the condition he left the two peerages in.

A solid five minutes passed as the two peerages attempted to return to a state of normality. The few that had completely fallen down recovering relatively easily, and eventually everyone was able to stop the shakes that had tormented all of them in equal measure.

"What...what _was_ that?" Tsubaki ended up being the one to break the silence as the two peerages moved to the opposite side of the street from Warren's house as his warning was still ringing in their ears.

Sona herself could not come up with a means to explain the flood of emotions that had almost forced them all to their knees. The sheer pressure that had been in the air being unlike anything she had ever experienced before.

And then Koneko whispered something that grabbed all her focus like a heat seeking missile.

"_Dragon_," Koneko whispered, no she _whimpered_ out like it was painful to even pronounce the word. The little first year being the sole person still shaking from where she was sat in an upright fetal position. Her pupils constantly changing between circular and slit.

Sona stared at the younger girl for a moment; the whispered word floating in her head as if trying to connect into the puzzle that Sona had started seeing Warren Fall as…

Until her entire frame locked up, she paled, and her mouth went dry as multiple observations and conversations suddenly clicked into a picture that utterly _terrified_ _her_.

"_Its main function being to add layers around my Soul in order to gain powers and abilities from lost souls or Phantasms if you will."_

He had the ability to empower himself with "lost souls".

_(Sona couldn't help but think he was acting like a certain species at that moment, but for the life of her she couldn't place it.)_

_'Mental note: Warren Fall is extremely protective over his home. May branch to his other possessions.'_

He had started acting like a different species. A species that despises others entering their home (_**den**_) or messing with their possessions (_**horde**_).

"Rias, under no circumstance are you to attempt to enter Warren Fall's property," Sona ordered sternly as she turned to stare at her fellow Devil King who had taken the time she had come to her realization to try and console her tiny Rook. The glare she had been directing at said property turning to her in exchange for astonishment.

"Sona, are you insane?! We were just attacked!" Rias shouted angrily. The "Gremory Rage" famous in her family when harm was done to those they considered members of their family growing by the second.

"Rias, **calm down**," Sona ordered so harshly and strongly that whatever Rias was about to say was cut off by her clicking her teeth together. The shock on her face from Sona ordering her so harshly once again thankfully surprising her enough that Sona was able to continue.

"Firstly, you need to remember that we gave our word that Fall-san's home was off limits," Sona started curtly. Her words caused Rias to cringe as Sona knew she took her promises very seriously. "Secondly, you need to consider the state that Fall-san just put us all into with a simple flare of whatever power he used." That drew multiple winces from the two peerages. The harsh reality that they were all rendered near useless with just a single flare of power hitting home rather strongly. "Thirdly...Fall-san informed me of one of the abilities granted to him by his Sacred Gear."

At the words "Sacred Gear", Rias's eyes flashed with something that Sona very quickly squashed in her next breath. "He also informed me that his Sacred Gear makes it impossible to convert him using the Evil Piece System."

"W-What?!" Rias sputtered out in shock; something that her peerage mirrored. Her own peerage only looked away with grimaces as they had been listening in to the previous meeting and thus knew this.

"Apparently Fall-san's Sacred Gear has a side-effect of making his soul larger than a regular Evil Piece would be able to convert," Sona said while mentally wondering if a Mutant Piece would work. Shaking off the random thought, Sona continued. "It is his Sacred Gear's main ability; however, that warrants my words."

Sona turned back to the house before her. The phantom image of the creature that she was almost positive had been present, if not in the traditional sense, causing her to shake slightly.

"Fall-san's Sacred Gear grants him the ability to empower himself with souls. Taking upon himself the powers and abilities of said soul," Sona turned back to a still confused Rias as she was clearly trying to figure out what Sona was getting at.

Sighing, Sona explained it out as bluntly as possible. "Koneko-san just claimed that what we just experienced was the result of a _dragon_ Rias. A dragon who was thoroughly _pissed off_ that someone had just attempted to enter his den without permission." Rias's rapidly paling face showed that she finally seemed to understand what she was saying.

"So Rias, can we both agree that it would be a bad idea to anger the _neutral standing_ young man who apparently has _the soul of a dragon_?!" Sona asked rhetorically before she and her peerage began making their way down the street, her words ringing in the stilted silence left behind on the unassuming street that held the den of a dragon.


End file.
